The Connecticut Sun barely outlasted the Washington Mystics 90-86 on Tuesday night to force Game 5 in the 2019 WNBA Finals. Now, the series heads to Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., where we’ll see the decisive clash between these two teams Thursday night. With both Connecticut and Washington searching for their first-ever WNBA Championship, we expect to see a tremendous battle.

Injuries/Suspensions

Both Connecticut and Washington are coming in full strength.

The Line

The Mystics opened as 7-point home favorites with the total at 175.0 points and the Sun at +250 money line odds. The Mystics are 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS in their last 12 outings at home as favorites of seven or fewer points, while the Sun is 5-7 SU and ATS in its previous 12 showings on the road as a dog of seven or fewer points.

What’s at Stake?

As I’ve already mentioned, both teams are searching for their first WNBA title, so this is the biggest game for each of these two franchises.

The Spot

Connecticut is coming off a huge home win, playing with its back against the wall. It should be a huge boost to the Sun’s confidence. However, the Mystics thrashed off the Sun in two of their previous three encounters at Entertainment and Sports Arena.

The Matchup

The Sun went off to a fast start in Game 4, taking a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter. They allowed the Mystics to make a comeback in the third quarter, but the Sun put on a strong performance down the stretch to seal the victory.

Connecticut made 42.9% of its field goals on Tuesday night, while Washington shot 47.1% from the field. However, the Sun outrebounded the Mystics (39-29) while making 24 assists and only eight turnovers. Likewise, the Sun earned 22 fouls and shot 23-for-26 from the charity stripe.

The key player for the Sun is Jonquel Jones. She was terrible in two losses in this series. On the other hand, she was exceptional in two Sun’s victories. After posting 32 points and 18 rebounds in Game 2, Jones led the way for the Sun in Game 4 with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Alyssa Thomas is also doing a great job, playing 40 minutes in each game of the Finals. She had 17 points and 11 assists in Game 4.

On the other side, Elena Delle Donne is playing through pain in her back. She tallied 11 points and five boards in Game 4, spending 30 minutes on the floor. Kristi Toliver had a bad game Tuesday night, scoring just seven points along with five assists. Toliver is averaging 13.8 points and 5.4 dimes per game this postseason.

Once again, the Sun will try to slow down the Mystics’ offense that is scoring 91.4 points per contest in the postseason. Although their offense is so lethal, the Mystics are surrendering 90.5 points in a return. Washington will have to defend Jonquel Jones well and do a much better job on the glass.

The Bets

The Mystics should take advantage of their home court and beat the Sun. I think they are a better team than Connecticut, especially on the offensive end, but covering a 7-point spread could be a tricky job. This is a winner-takes-all battle and seven points seem like a high line.

Therefore, I would stick with the totals once again in this series. All previous four games went in the over, and I think we’ll see another high-scoring affair. The over is 9-3 in Connecticut’s previous 12 games overall, and it is 8-1 in Washington’s last nine contests overall.