Atlanta at Washington

Atlanta won Game 1 on Sunday, 92-77, and I was on the wrong side of it with Washington getting points. The Mystics led 41-36 at halftime before a 29-12 third quarter flipped the game. The box score shows why. Washington turned it over 23 times, and Atlanta turned those giveaways into 27 points. The Mystics had the most turnovers in the league this season at 14.7 a game, so ball security is a real weakness, but 23 is far outside even their normal range. The rest of Washington's Game 1 looked like a team that belongs in this series. It won the glass 50-31 with 15 offensive rebounds, and allowed 82.7 points a game in the regular season, second-fewest in the league. Washington also beat Atlanta in both home meetings this year, 81-76 and 79-74, and tonight they're back at home with the season on the line. If the turnovers return to normal, the Mystics stay close. Washington is the right side on the spread tonight.