Minn - 1/2 (1Q)
YTD: 1-0


This will be the Mystics fifthgame in nine days in five different arenas, and their last game was one of those unexpected comeback wins that often result in an early letdown next out. The Mystics also use a 7-player rotation which leaves them a little more vulneralbe to fatigue than a lot of teams.

Like a lot of bad teams the Lynx are terrible on the road, and run hot and cold at home. Their five game losing streak is in part due to their own having to work through heavy scheduling. Now with three days off they should get a fast start here.

One cloud on the play is the uncertain playing status of Beard and Milton-Jones, two of the team's three best players. If there's a line move toward the Mystics it will be because one of them retruns to the line-up.

I don't like the -2.5 game line nearly as much as the quarter line because Washington does have a recipe for Minnesota. The Mystics have one of the League's most effective post-up games, and the Lynx have the weakest interiror defense. So as the game goes on, Washington could wear down Minnesota depending on how much they have left. Neither of these clouds, though, effect my first quarter call.