Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the WNBA daily as we try to heal from this pandemic.
Tina Charles had another huge game to help the Mystics upend the Storm.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Huston/Getty Images.)
Sometimes, when we look at the best players in the W, we glance at Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi, etc. Heck, the Washington Mystics have Elena Delle Donne, even though she hasn’t played since that team won the championship in 2019.
The Mystics also have Tina Charles, who is having a banner season. After Tuesday, she’s averaging a career-best 25.3 points and 9.6 boards. She’s also having her most prolific behind the arc at .348 while attempting 5.5 threes per.
Against the Storm, she went for 34 points, 16 boards, and 5 assists. She is the third woman to get 30-15-5 in a game (after Tina Thompson and Candace Parker). The Mystics also handed the Storm their third loss and D.C. has now won three straight games.
Charles has scored 30 or more points in 6 games this season. You can make a case for her winning MVP this season, which, by the way, she’s done before. She won the award in 2012, while playing for the Connecticut Sun. The Sun would deal her for Kelsey Bone and the pick that turned out to be Alyssa Thomas to New York. Then after the Mystics won the title, they acquired Charles in a three-way deal.
Pretty soon, I hope we can see Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, and Emma Meesseman team up. That’s such a frontcourt that sounds unfair, especially with the way Charles has been playing this season.
Bullet Passes
I wanted to be fair to other individuals and teams. The Chicago Sky won yet again and I decided to not spotlight them this time around. But they have won 6 straight games and have moved up to 8-7.
Parker was dominant at 23-12-6 while Courtney Vandersloot had her fourth consecutive double-double with 10 points and a buck’s worth of assists.
The Connecticut Sun snapped their three-game slide as they defeated the Dallas WIngs behind a career-best 26 points by Brionna Jones. DeWanna Bonner went for 25-13-6 and she didn’t sit down for a single second in this game.
I think it’s really cool that the WNBA is in their 25th season. I just hate that the numbering gets confused. The Liberty/Sparks game from Sunday was NOT the 25th anniversary game. It was played in 1997 so that makes it TWENTY-FOUR.
WNBA Scoreboard
June 22, 2021
Watch This Play
Candace Parker showed all the moves here.
Break em’ on down @Candace_Parker 🤑
📺 https://t.co/OgMlAn6DLw pic.twitter.com/zLvpimHSU4
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 23, 2021
It was like she was just messing around with the Liberty. Geez.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the WNBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.