Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart Start the Playoffs With a Bang
The Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm are playing one another in a playoff series for the first time since 2018 when the Storm swept the Mystics for their third championship. The Mystics then went on to run it back and have a historic offensive season as they marched to their first ever championship in 2019.
As it often goes in basketball, the series will come down to the play of their superstar leaders. For the Mystics, that’s Elena Delle Donne, the first 50/40/90 player in WNBA history, two-time MVP, and five-time All-WNBA selection. The former Deleware Blue Hen averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“Baaa!” 🐐 @T_Cloud4 speaks on @De11eDonne‘s journey through injury and gives her comeback all the praise 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xC6bo8i2YT
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 19, 2022
The six-time All-Star posted 26 points and five dimes in Game 1. She scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to combat Jewell Loyd’s epic fourth-quarter run, but the former Rookie of the Year couldn’t knock down a triple with 16.1 seconds to tie the game at 84 apiece.
Despite the loss, Elena Delle Donne had herself a night against Seattle 🪣 pic.twitter.com/47jeUsitFC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 19, 2022
On the other end, the Storm will rely on Breanna Stewart, who is coming off an MVP-like season where she averaged a League-leading 21.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 2.9 assists per game on 47.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.8 percent from deep. Stewie is a two-time champ and Finals MVP, a two-time MVP, and five-time All-WNBA pick.
Stewart may have lost the head-to-head battle after contributing 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, but she ended up winning part one of the Seattle-Washington war.
An epic performance from @breannastewart in the first game of round 1 of the #WNBAPlayoffs presented by @Google 👏
23 PTS | 12 REB | 4 AST 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6wNB9N6DNK
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 19, 2022
The two women’s basketball titans will run it back for Game 2 on Sunday.
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