The Portland Fire gave the Washington Mystics all they could handle, refusing to go away until the very last second. The Mystics had to grind out the game with clutch free throws, as Carla Leite hit several big shots.
The 105-100 win marked a few milestones for the Mystics. They clinched a playoff spot, Shakira Austin set a new career high with 31 points, Austin and Kiki Iriafen tied the league record for most double-doubles by a duo in the same game in one season, and Sonia Citron set a new record for clutch points scored in a season, surpassing Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
Citron’s ability to score in the clutch could make the Mystics a sneakily dangerous playoff team. If their defense holds up well enough to keep games close, having a reliable late-game scorer could make the difference between a win and a loss—especially if they stay locked into the 2-7 first-round matchup with the Golden State Valkyries. The Valkyries follow a similar archetype to the Mystics with the league’s best defense but a middling offense. That series would be a defensive masterpiece, and players who can make tough shots under pressure would be invaluable.
No matter the matchup or the results, the Mystics’ defense and Citron’s abilty to score inside the clutch mean that Washington never truly goes away. And that’s exactly the type of team no one wants to face in the first round.
Sonia Citron leads the W in clutch points
The Mystics have played plenty of close games. Citron, Austin, and Iriafen are the top three in total clutch minutes played in the W. Seventeen of their 37 games so far were decided by five or fewer points. They won twelve of those games, which is a great sign of maturity and composure for such a young team.
Citron has steadily delivered in the clutch. She has scored 85 total points in the clutch—20 more than Kelsey Mitchell, who ranks second. She has gotten those points efficiently inside the arc, shooting 46.7% from the field, and from the free-throw line, converting 41 of her league-leading 46 attempts. Clutch 3-pointers haven’t fallen as reliably for Citron. She has only made two of her twelve attempts.
Still, Citron has proven that she can keep her composure when she is at the free-throw line in clutch situations and can score inside the arc when her team needs her to the most. Moreover, she can make important defensive plays down the stretch.
Citron may be the head of the snake, but Iriafen and Austin also contribute plenty to the Mystics’ clutch wins. Iriafen ranks fifth in clutch points with 60, and Austin is currently 13th with 49. Against the Fire, Georgia Amoore also showed what she can do in the clutch. She scored seven points for the Mystics in the final five minutes of the game, converting on a 3-pointer, a drive, and a couple of free throws.
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