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Mystics-Silver Stars Preview

Aug 17, 2010 - 3:12 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Washington (19-12) at San Antonio (12-19), 8:00 p.m. EDT

The Washington Mystics know they'll be playing in the postseason for a second straight year. Their next opponent, however, isn't a guarantee to be joining them.

The San Antonio Silver Stars will be without starting forward Chamique Holdsclaw as they look to improve their chances at securing a playoff berth Tuesday night against the Mystics.

San Antonio (12-19) is tied with Los Angeles and Minnesota, and the three teams with identical records will be battling for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Silver Stars own the tiebreaker over the Sparks but lost a chance to secure a season-series win over the Lynx after losing 84-78 at Minneapolis on Sunday.

The Silver Stars' final three game are at home, with East-leading Indiana coming in Friday and Phoenix visiting on Sunday.

"(The final week) is extremely important," coach Sandy Brondello said. "We do have the luxury that we are playing at home. We still control our own destiny, but we are going to take one game at a time."

Brondello's team failed to overcome a slow start Sunday after it scored 29 points in the first half. Becky Hammon finished with a season-high 30 points, hitting six 3-pointers, but also had six of her team's 16 turnovers.

The Silver Stars lost Holdsclaw, their third-leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, midway through the second quarter and announced hours before this game that she would miss the rest of the season with a torn right Achilles' tendon.

The Silver Stars are only 6-8 at home and after Tuesday, their final two games are against teams that have already secured postseason berths. Holdsclaw scored a team-high 17 points in a 79-75 win over the Mystics on July 29.

Unlike San Antonio, Washington (19-12) can relax a bit after clinching a playoff spot over the weekend. The Mystics are a half-game behind second-place New York and a half-game ahead of fourth-place Atlanta in the East.

They'll face both of those teams this week, taking on the Liberty at home Friday and closing the regular season on the road against the Dream on Sunday.

Washington set a franchise record for wins with an 80-71 victory over Seattle on Sunday. Monique Currie scored 25 points, making five 3-pointers, and the Mystics began a 21-10 run late in the third quarter en route to their third straight win.

"Getting into the playoffs is a big deal," guard Katie Smith said. "Obviously home-court advantage would be really nice. The bottom line is you get in."

Currie scored 22 points against San Antonio last month.