Washington Mystics vs Golden State Valkyries Prediction, 7/18/2026 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Washington Mystics vs Golden State Valkyries

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Location: Chase Center in San Francisco, CA

TV: WNBA League Pass

Odds/Point Spread: Washington (+8.5)

The Golden State Valkyries (18-7) play the Washington Mystics (12-11) at Chase Center on Saturday. Golden State opens this game as 8.5 point favorites. The O/U is set at 149.5.

The Washington Mystics played the Portland Fire and went home with a loss by a final score of 75-56 in their last game. Washington ended with a 29.7% field goal percentage (19 of 64) and converted 2 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Mystics made 16 of 23 tries for a rate of 69.6%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they compiled 47 with 18 of them being offensive. They also doled out 18 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 3 steals. Regarding defending, Washington allowed 43.3% from the floor on 29 of 67 shooting. Portland earned 5 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. In addition, Portland grabbed 26 rebounds (5 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 4 blocked shots. Portland went 77.8% at the free throw line by making 7 of 9 attempts. They also converted 10 out of their 36 attempts from beyond the arc.

Shakira Austin is a player who came through in the game. She ended up with 19 points on 6 of 15 shooting. She played for 33 minutes and totaled 9 rebounds. Austin finished 40.0% from the floor and also distributed 4 dimes.

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Washington enters this game with a win-loss record of 12-11 on the campaign. They have an average of 80.0 pts per contest (14th in the WNBA) while hitting 43.0% from the field. The Mystics are shooting 27.9% on 3-pointers (127 of 456) and 72.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Washington is snagging 37.2 boards per contest and has 435 assists for the year, which has them ranked 15th in the WNBA in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 16.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.7 fouls per contest. On defense, the Mystics are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 24.4 fouls. They rank 1st in the WNBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 443 relinquished on the season. The Mystics are allowing a field goal percentage of 42.3% (304 of 561) and they concede 31.2 rebounds per contest as a team. They surrender 31.7% on shots from downtown and they rank 3rd in the league in opponents points per game (82.9).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Golden State Valkyries walked away with a victory by a final of 88-75 against the Indiana Fever. The Valkyries were able to corral 24 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for the game. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while recording 9 steals in the matchup. The Fever were called for 19 personal fouls for this game which took the Valkyries to the charity stripe for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to convert 20 of the free throws for a clip of 87.0%. When talking about shots from downtown, Golden State converted 8 out of their 24 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Valkyries shot 30 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 51.7%. The Valkyries allowed the Fever to convert 27 out of 67 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 40.3% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 36.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 9 out of 25 and finished the game at 12 out of 16 from the free throw line (75.0%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Golden State allowed Indiana to get 26 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Gabby Williams pitched in for the Valkyries for this contest. She converted 6 out of 12 for this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 3 rebounds. Williams earned 16 points in her 27 mins of playing time and tallied 1 assist for this contest.

Golden State has a mark of 18-7 for the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Valkyries are connecting on 41.9% from the floor, which ranks them 15th in the league. Golden State has earned 2,055 points so far this season (82.2 per game) and they pull down 32.8 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 18.1 times per game (15th in basketball) and they are giving up possession 10.9 times per game. The Valkyries commit 19.8 fouls per game while shooting 76.9% from the charity stripe. The Valkyries defensively are ranked 1st in the league in PPG surrendered with 76.1. The Golden State defense concedes 34.6% on 3-pointers (197 of 570) and their opponents are knocking down 75.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 18.2 dimes and 32.6 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 1st and 6th in basketball. They are forcing 13.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.8% from the field (2nd in the WNBA).

Who will win tonight's WNBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington (+8.5)

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