Ahead of the Washington Mystics 78-72 win over Atlanta on Sunday, Mystics Coach Mike Thibault was asked to describe the progress his retooled roster is making toward becoming a cohesive unit. His response was simple.

Slow, he said.

That disconnect showed Sunday, when for the second straight game Washington needed the final seconds to seal a home win. The Mystics (5-2) staved off an impressive comeback from Atlanta after frittering away an 18-point lead. Washington trailed 72-71 with 43 seconds left before it won the game at the foul line, with Elena Delle Donne hitting five free throws and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough sinking two as the Dream (4-2) missed its final two field goals.

Its hard, eight players, we got tired legs shooting the ball, Thibault said. ... But its really nice to have one of the best players in the league on your team when youre down the stretch.

[Mystics Ivory Latta has a book and a message]

Delle Donne led Washington with 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and hit 10 of her 12 free throw attempts. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt added 11 points, and a hot-handed Kristi Toliver had 15 on a season-high five three-pointers.

Washington was without starting guard Tayler Hill (neck/left shoulder strain) and backups Natasha Cloud (left knee strain) and Asia Taylor (neck pain), but a shortened rotation is just one of the reasons team chemistry on offense was spotty Sunday.

A month into the season, the Mystics are integrating six new players. Starting forward Emma Meesseman is overseas with the Belgian national team, and Toliver is still catching up after missing all of training camp.

Hills injury also forced Walker-Kimbrough into the starting lineup just four games into her WNBA career. Her first task as a starter was no easy ask the former Terp had to guard Eastern Conference player of the month Tiffany Hayes, who averages 19.8 points and had 24 against the Mystics.

All that offensive adjustment resulted in Washingtons second shoddy shooting game in a row: The Mystics shot 36.5 percent from the field Sunday.

I just think were operating at about 50 percent offensively right now, Thibault said.

His star player agreed, though no one in the Mystics locker room is fretting. The win put Washington ahead of Atlanta at the top of the Eastern Conference and in second place in the league overall behind undefeated Minnesota.

We have great moments, and then we have some bad moments, Delle Donne said. But its early in the season, and its kind of expected. Were a brand-new team, and were all trying to figure one another out. Obviously I hope to see us improve each game and get better and better, but until then, we just have to continue to be really good on defense.

Defense helped Washington dominate the first half. Hot shooting from Toliver, who had three three-pointers in the first three minutes of the game, got the Mystics off to a good start, and they kept Atlantas offense from getting out in transition as they went on lengthy runs at the start of the second and third quarters.

With Walker-Kimbrough on her, Hayes got to the free throw line only twice in the first half and was held to just seven points.

But breakdowns crept in midway through the third quarter, when Hayes finally pushed through a tired Washington defense and the Mystics sputtering offense lost its safeguard.

Hayes had seven points in the third quarter alone. Washington ended the game with 14 turnovers to Atlantas three, many of them a result of miscommunication.

I thought we had two terrible possessions on offense where causal, not executing what we called, then we watched us shoot a jump shot, and while were watching, theyre out running two-on-one a couple times, Thibault said of third quarter. They had us on our heels a little bit.

Delle Donne stepped in when the Mystics were really reeling, after Sancho Lyttle nabbed Atlantas first lead of the game with a 12-foot jumper with 43 seconds to play. Washington came out of a timeout with the ball, and Delle Donne drew a three-shot foul when Lyttle jumped to block her shot far too early.

Walker-Kimbroughs two free throws with four seconds left provided insurance and accounted for two of the rookies three points Sunday. Her first career start was a solid one defensively, and she may be seeing more minutes soon.

Hill strained her neck in Wednesdays win over Connecticut but could play this week. Cloud had a gnarly collision with Taylor in practice Friday, and an MRI exam Saturday morning revealed a left knee strain. There is no timetable for Clouds return.

For now, at least, she is another missing piece for Washington to work around.

New York tops Phoenix

Kiah Stokes scored a career-high 23 points and added 14 rebounds to help the New York Liberty beat the visiting Phoenix Mercury, 88-72.

Its the second straight game that Stokes has had a career high in points and finished with a double-double. I think shes in a good place and I think shes shown great progress, New York Coach Bill Laimbeer said of Stokes.

Shavonte Zellous added 21 points, and Tina Charles had 16 for New York (4-3).

Brittney Griner scored 26 points, and Diana Taurasi added 17 for Phoenix (4-3).

Associated Press

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Lacking chemistry, Mystics react well enough to hold off the Dream - Washington Post