DiDi Richards probable, 3 Mystics out for final game vs. Mercury before WNBA All-Star, Olympic break

With just one game remaining on its schedule before mid-August, the Washington Mystics will strive for one last win against the Phoenix Mercury ahead of the WNBA All-Star and Olympic break.

Going into the game, DiDi Richards (Right Knee) is probable to play, which is good news for the shorthanded Mystics. Shakira Austin (Left Hip), Karlie Samuelson (Left Hand Fracture) and Brittney Sykes (Left Foot) all out with injuries.

A huge blow to the Mystics’ lineup, Sykes has played just three games this year after last season where she was voted into the 2023 WNBA All-Defensive first-team as well as being in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year (third) and Most Improved Player (fourth) awards. She suffered a left ankle sprain in Washington’s second game of the year on May 17 vs. the Connecticut Sun, returned on June 11 to face the Atlanta Dream and left in the fourth quarter after she sprained her left foot. During her small sample size at the beginning of the season, the 5-foot-9 guard scored 11.2 points and collected 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Richards has played in 19 of Washington’s 24 games this season and started seven times. In her first season as a Mystic, she is averaging 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Texas native originally signed a training camp deal with Washington after not playing in the WNBA last season following her being cut by the New York Liberty.

Out since the sixth game of the season due to a serious hip injury, Austin has been a massive miss for the Mystics as she started the year scoring a career-high 11.7 points per game before then. The 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year runner-up was the third-overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft and has 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in her career.

Like Austin, Samuelson is another starter who has dealt with a fair share of time away from basketball with injuries. The Stanford product has been inactive since June 23 after she fractured her left hand against the Dallas Wings. Through the initial 17 games of the Mystics’ schedule, she too was posting a career-high in points, 9.9 and also 2.4 assists per game. Samuelson has also played for the Wings, Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm and one game for the Mercury (2022).

As for Phoenix, Sug Sutton (Right Hamstring) and rookie Charisma Osborne (Lower Left Leg) both remain out. After being listed on the injury report last game against the Sun on Sunday, Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi all started then and are good to go this morning.

The morning clash between the Mercury and Mystics starts at 8:30 a.m. PT.