Mystics start long road journey at Fire with playoff berth at stake

Field Level Media|published: Sun 23rd August, 24:42 2026

Aug 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin (0) drives to the basket as Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) defends in the second half at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Mystics open a six-game trip Sunday in Portland, with a good chance they could clinch a WNBA playoff berth before they return home to the nation's capital.

That's because the first five of those road games are against teams who are trying to catch them.

Up first for the Mystics (21-15) will be the Fire (15-21), who are currently ninth in the standings -- the top eight teams make the postseason.

Despite one of the youngest rosters in the league, the Mystics are in seventh place and close to their first postseason appearance since 2023.

"I can just tell team-wise, the confidence, especially from our rookies, (is different) from Game 1 to now," second-year forward Kiki Iriafen told The IX Sports. "... I think that's something that has been really great for our team. ... You can definitely tell when they go out there, they're not scared. They're very comfortable."

Guard Sonia Citron leads the Mystics with 16.9 points and 4.1 assists per game. Center Shakira Austin adds 16.6 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds and Iriafen averages 15.1 points and 9.3 boards.

The expansion Fire have also exceeded expectations. They've won four of their past six games, with one of those defeats against league-leading Minnesota.

The other came Friday, an 82-79 loss to Toronto on a neutral court in Vancouver, B.C. The Fire blew a double-digit lead, committing 26 fouls and sending the Tempo to the free-throw line 33 times.

"Want to make sure we learn from this one because we want to finish the season on the high and (Friday) we didn't bring it," Fire coach Alex Sarama said.

Carla Leite tops the Fire with 15.5 points and 6.2 assists per game.

The teams have split their previous two meetings, both in Washington.

The Mystics claimed a 124-123 victory in four overtimes on June 28 as Citron scored 32 points, including the go-ahead basket with 21.4 seconds remaining. That tied the league record for longest game.

The Fire took a less-thrilling 75-56 win July 16 as Leite scored a team-high 14 points. Portland limited the Mystics to 29% shooting from the field, including 2 of 21 on 3-pointers, and forced 19 turnovers.

--Field Level Media

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