The Toronto Tempo need Marina Mabrey again on Tuesday, and they may need her more than they expected. With Kiki Rice and Brittney Sykes listed as out, Toronto went into its game against the Washington Mystics leaning on the guard who has been producing at a heavy clip for weeks.
That is why Lauren Betts is being searched alongside this matchup: readers want the latest on Toronto’s offense, and Mabrey is the name driving it. She scored 30 points in Sunday’s win over the New York Liberty, and she has topped 30 points in four of her last seven games while reaching at least 23 in five of those seven. She also took 17 or more shots in six of her last seven games, a load that matches the way Toronto has had to play when the scoring burden falls on her.
The Mystics have already shown they can make this hard. They beat Toronto by three points in the opener in Toronto, then edged the Tempo by one point in the second meeting. On Tuesday, Washington was a small road favorite again, which fits a game that comes with real weight in the race for the No. 8 seed. Toronto and Washington are both still in that fight, and Toronto’s margin for error shrinks when two guards are unavailable.
The Sunday win over New York gave Toronto a lift, but it also sharpened the problem it now carries into this game. Mabrey’s recent scoring line is strong enough to keep Toronto live against almost anyone: 15.7 shots per night this season, 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point range. She scored 27 points in both meetings with Washington this season, so the Mystics know exactly who is likely to punish them if they lose track of the ball.
There is still one thing the betting angle does not pin down: the actual over-under number for Tuesday’s game. But the shape of the matchup is clear enough. Toronto is short-handed, Washington has already won the season series narrowly, and Mabrey has spent the last several weeks playing like the player most likely to decide whether the Tempo can keep pace.
