Mystics Resume Postseason Quest

Washington Mystics Coach Richie Adubato was frustrated with his team's performance during an 86-73 loss at Connecticut on Tuesday, but remained confident he will see the Sun again -- in the postseason.

"As long as we take care of our business at home the rest of the way, we'll make the playoffs," he said. "If Connecticut keeps playing the way they are, they'll be the top team in the conference and we'll play them in the first round. But right now, we just have to worry about winning our home games."

For the Mystics, that begins tonight at 7 at Verizon Center against the Chicago Sky (3-21). With nine games remaining, Washington (12-13) has the fourth -- and final -- spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with a five-game lead over Charlotte (7-18). Washington will play at Indiana (16-9), which has a four-game lead over the Mystics for the third seed, on Saturday. Detroit (17-7) currently has the second seed, 1 1/2 games behind Connecticut (19-6).

"I think the worst thing we can do right now is think we are going to make the playoffs because Charlotte won't catch us because it's possible they could," forward DeLisha Milton-Jones said. "We've lost our last two games and losing can be just as contagious as winning, so I think our game against Chicago is definitely a must-win game."

The Mystics' effort against the Sun mirrored their performance against many of the league's best teams. The Mystics led 44-39 early in the third quarter but fell apart down the stretch to drop to 3-9 against teams with winning records.

"It's very frustrating because our team got its hopes high because we started clicking," said Milton-Jones, who scored a team-high 17 points. "But then our inexperience showed when we were in a tough situation in the game. Connecticut is a playoff-tested team."

-- Jon Gallo