Mystics vs. Mercury: Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron Score 19 Each as Washington Wins Seventh Straight

The Phoenix Mercury never led on Sunday. Not for a possession, not off the opening tip, not even by accident. They spent the afternoon at CareFirst Arena chasing a team that has forgotten how to lose, and by the third quarter the chase had the energy of someone jogging after a bus they already know is gone.

Shakira Austin finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Sonia Citron matched her with 19 on 7-of-9 shooting, and the Washington Mystics ran away from Phoenix 95-75 for their seventh straight win. The team says no one in the WNBA has a longer active streak and that this one now ranks as the second-longest in franchise history. The record, per the Associated Press, is the eight in a row Washington won in 2018. So the number on the fridge is now one away.

One Quarter of Competition, Then a Landslide

For 10 minutes this looked like a game. Washington carried a 21-20 lead into the second, and Phoenix, playing its third road game in five days, seemed perfectly willing to keep trading baskets. Then the Mystics scored nine straight in about two minutes to make it 30-20, and the tone of the afternoon changed for good.

Phoenix scratched back within six at 40-34, which turned out to be the last moment anyone could call this close. An 8-0 burst made it 48-34 with a minute left in the half. Then came the real damage: a 14-0 run that began in the final half-minute of the second quarter and carried into the third, turning 48-37 into 62-37 with 7:15 still to play in the period. The halftime score was 50-37, the third ended 73-51, and the lead eventually climbed to 29.

Phoenix won the fourth quarter 24-22, which is a bit like winning the argument after the other person has already gone home. Lucy Olsen made sure nobody got sentimental about it, dropping in two late 3s and finishing with six points in four minutes.

Five of Six From Deep and a Frontcourt Phoenix Never Solved

Citron's line deserves a slower read. She took nine shots in 27 minutes and made seven, went 5 of 6 from 3, handed out six assists, grabbed two steals and finished plus-31, the best mark on the floor. The rest of the Mystics shot 6 of 23 from deep. She was less a part of the offense than the reason the defense kept leaving somebody else open.

Austin did her work the other way, going 8 of 16 with three assists and no turnovers in 26 minutes. According to the team, it was her 14th double-double of the season and her fourth straight game with at least 15 points and 10 rebounds. She and Kiki Iriafen, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, gave Phoenix nothing easy around the rim. Iriafen also got to 1,000 career points in her 72nd game, per the Mystics, the kind of milestone that sneaks by on a day like this.

The depth was the scary part. Michaela Onyenwere scored 13 with three 3s, two days after going scoreless against Atlanta. Cotie McMahon, the No. 11 pick in this year's draft, added 13 off the bench and has now hit double figures three games in a row and six times overall, per the AP. And Georgia Amoore finished plus-28 without scoring a point, going 0 of 4 while piling up six assists, which may be the purest point guard sentence you read all week.

For Phoenix, Kahleah Copper led with 15 but needed 13 shots, and Noemie Brochant was the best thing about the afternoon, scoring 13 on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench. Alyssa Thomas got her 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, though it took 15 shots to get there. DeWanna Bonner scored 10 in 19 minutes and still finished minus-26, a fair summary of the whole exercise.

The Calf That Changed the Second Half

The turning point arrived before the ball went back up. Kelsey Plum, acquired from Los Angeles on Aug. 1 and two days removed from a 25-point night in Connecticut, was replaced in the second-half lineup by Lexi Held because of a left calf injury, according to the AP. Plum's final line was five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes.

Already down 13 at the break, the Mercury came out without her and got buried. Washington finished off that 14-0 run in the opening minutes of the third, and a Phoenix offense that made just 12 of 34 shots across the second and third quarters had nothing to answer with. The Mystics were probably winning this game either way. Plum's absence just removed any doubt by about the 7:15 mark.

Stats That Matter

• Turnovers: Phoenix 16, Washington 8. The Mystics had 11 steals, which the team says matched a season high.
• Fast-break points: Washington 15, Phoenix 4, the predictable side effect of those steals.
• Paint points: Washington 42, Phoenix 30.
• 3-point line: Both teams went 11 of 29. Same attempts, same makes, 20-point margin.
• The dead zone: Phoenix shot 12 of 34 over the middle two quarters and was outscored 52-31 in them.

One Team Stacking Wins, One Team Stuck on the Road

Washington is now 19-12 overall and 11-6 at home. The Mystics are 5-0 since the All-Star break, and the team points out that nobody else in the league is unbeaten in that stretch. They also had five players in double figures for the third straight game, per the team, so good luck picking which one to take away. Next up is a Tuesday trip to Las Vegas.

Phoenix dropped to 12-22 and 7-12 on the road. The Mercury have lost three in a row and four of their last five, with all three losses in this skid coming away from home. They face the Sparks at the Galen Center on Tuesday, and they will be hoping for better news on that calf.

Ocean's 8 Is the Sequel They Want

The franchise record dates to 2018, the same summer Ocean's 8 hit theaters, and honestly the comparison holds. Nobody on this Washington team is asked to carry the whole job. One cracks the safe from 3, one handles the heavy lifting inside, one runs the plan without ever touching the scoreboard, and the whole crew is out the door before the other side realizes what is missing. Seven down. One more and they get to say they pulled off the same job as the 2018 team.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the Washington Mystics.