Mystics host Clark, Fever with potential postseason berth at play in regular-season finale

The Washington Mystics enter Thursday’s season finale against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever with the playoffs on their mind — coach Eric Thibault’s squad needs a win and some outside help to eek into the postseason.

For the Mystics to make their third consecutive postseason appearance, they’ll need the league-leading New York Liberty to beat the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night. But, despite a disastrous start to the year, the Mystics’ playoff dreams are still alive on the last day of the regular season.

Entering Thursday’s action, the 13-26 Mystics trail the Dream by one game for the eighth and final playoff spot. If Washington wins and Atlanta loses, the Mystics will squeak into the playoffs. 

Any other result and Thibault’s young team, despite an encouraging late-season run, will pivot to the offseason. The Chicago Sky would earn a postseason berth if the Dream and Mystics both lose.

“We got one more shot to represent ourselves and play the way that we have shown over the course of the year that we’re capable of,” Thibault said Tuesday. “We’ve shown really good resilience over the course of the season, and we have a chance to show it one more time.”

The Mystics opened the season with 12 consecutive losses, quickly sinking to the bottom of the WNBA standings and most power rankings. But Thibault’s squad rebounded as the 2024 campaign continued, stringing together wins as the summer wore on.

The month-long Olympic break from mid-July through mid-August allowed Washington to get healthy, as starters Karlie Samuelson, Britney Sykes and Shakira Austin returned from injuries. 

Though it seemed like a long shot when their veterans watched the losses pile up from the sideline, the Mystics clawed their way back into the playoff race this month.

But the weeks of improvement all built to Thursday’s game at Capital One Arena as the Mystics take on the WNBA’s biggest young star. It’s an elimination game in front of 20,000 fans.  

Washington guard Julie Vanloo says she’s ready for the pressure — she felt it this summer as she played in the bronze medal match with Belgium at the Paris Olympics.

“I’m a very optimistic girl, especially after that,” the 31-year-old rookie said, comparing her club to the international team. “We’re also a team that loves to play together that has a good vibe going on in the locker room and on the court. Everything is possible when we play our game, that’s when we’re at our best.”

All the good vibes in the world won’t stop Clark — who has already set a litany of rookie WNBA records — from shooting three-pointers on Thursday night. The Mystics have a tough task ahead as the Fever look to snag a higher seed and build momentum for their own postseason run.

“Everybody is definitely excited for the playoffs,” Clark said as the Fever prepped for their first postseason appearance since 2016. “We’re not just happy to be there. We really feel like we can compete with every single team.”

Even if the Mystics fall to the Fever on Thursday, they’ll leave with a consolation prize — a lottery selection in next year’s WNBA draft and a shot at the top pick.

While Washington’s players and coaches will scrap for a win, a loss might be best for the rebuilding franchise. The Mystics also own the Dream’s first-round pick, so Washington could end up with two lottery selections (and two chances to secure the No. 1 selection) if Atlanta loses too.

But coach Thibault’s father, general manager Mike Thibault, will worry about the draft. Washington’s coach isn’t thinking about the future this week, he says he’s focused on what his team needs to do to make a playoff run.

“We can play a lot better than we’re playing,” Eric Thibault said. “Everybody’s got to get out of their own heads a little bit and get into the team and we’ll be a lot better.”