Griner Out, Mystics Favoured: Sun Visit CareFirst Arena With Season Series Still Open

The Washington Mystics hosted the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The WNBA regular-season matchup carried different stakes for each side: Washington was positioned firmly in the playoff picture and playing with momentum, while Connecticut, at 7-20, was deep in a rebuild season with its postseason path effectively closed.

Where to Watch: TV Channel and Live Stream

The game aired on NBC Sports Boston (NBCS-BOS) for Connecticut-market viewers and on Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) for Washington-area audiences. Regional restrictions apply local listings should be checked if neither channel is available in a given cable or satellite package.

Out-of-market viewers could access the game through WNBA League Pass, the league's official streaming product, which carries live out-of-market games subject to blackout rules.

Venue: CareFirst Arena, Washington, D.C.

The game took place at CareFirst Arena, the Mystics' home court in the Congress Heights neighbourhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. The 4,200-seat arena previously known as the Entertainment and Sports Arena before a February 2025 naming-rights agreement with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is also the home court of the NBA G League's Capital City Go-Go and serves as the Washington Wizards' practice facility. The Wizards play their NBA home games at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington.

Brittney Griner Out, Edwards and Rivers Uncertain

The most significant availability note before tipoff was Brittney Griner, listed as out for Connecticut due to a knee issue. Griner's absence removed a key interior presence from the Sun's frontcourt rotation, putting additional pressure on Aneesah Morrow to handle interior minutes alone against a Washington front line that had been effective on both ends of the floor.

Aaliyah Edwards and Saniya Rivers were listed as probable for Connecticut in pre-game coverage, though their availability was described separately as a game-time decision. Status should be confirmed through the official WNBA game center before drawing conclusions.

Washington entered without reported injury concerns.

Where Both Teams Stood Before Tipoff

Washington came in at 14-12, holding steady in the playoff standings after Shakira Austin scored 25 points in a 100-99 win over the Las Vegas Aces just before the All-Star break. The Mystics averaged 80.8 points per game and held opponents to 83.1 a defensive mark that placed them third in the league, behind only Golden State (76.4) and Minnesota (83.1), according to 2026 WNBA team defensive stats.

Connecticut arrived at 7-20, having started the season 2-15 before going 5-5 in its final ten games before the All-Star break. That stretch brought the record back into single-digit losses across a ten-game sample but did nothing to close a 7.5-game gap on Washington in the standings. The Sun averaged 80.0 points per game on the season and allowed 87.1 tenth-most in the WNBA among 15 teams. Sun pre-All-Star record and game-by-game log via the official WNBA game center for the Sun's last pre-break game

Key Players to Watch

For Washington, Sonia Citron led the Mystics in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Shakira Austin contributed 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while Kiki Iriafen added 14.8 points and 9.3 boards a frontcourt pairing with consistent output on both ends.

On the Connecticut side, Leïla Lacan was the Sun's leading scorer at 12.8 points per game, adding 4.4 assists per outing. Aneesah Morrow averaged 10.5 points and 9.3 rebounds and would face an unusually heavy interior burden with Griner unavailable.

Player statistics drawn from Basketball-Reference's 2026 Washington Mystics page and 2026 Connecticut Sun page.

Season Series: One Win Each, A Fourth Meeting Still to Come

Washington and Connecticut had already met twice in June. The Mystics won the first matchup 88-81 on June 17, according to the WNBA game record for that date. Connecticut responded with a 68-57 win on June 26, per the official WNBA game log, leaving both sides with one win apiece heading into July 28.

A Washington win on July 28 would give the Mystics a 2-1 series lead, but would not clinch the season series: the two teams are scheduled to meet again on September 22, 2026, in Washington, per the official Connecticut Sun schedule. The final game will determine any head-to-head tiebreaker relevant to late-season positioning.

What the Standings Made of This Fixture

Seven-and-a-half games separated these teams in the WNBA standings. For Washington, July 28 was a chance to build on post-break momentum and stretch a lead in the playoff tier. For Connecticut, with a 7-20 record, the realistic goal was competitive basketball and sustained development of a young roster the Sun carried five players on rookie contracts, including Edwards, Morrow, Rivers, Lacan, and Rayah Marshall.

Washington were listed as 5.5-point favourites, with the over/under set at 160.5, per theScore's matchup page.