Swings.

Every team in the Eastern Conference had a game tonight, which means that all 4 of the teams fighting for the 3rd & 4th playoff spots were in action. And every one of those teams pulled out a win, except for one -- the Mystics -- who lost on the road to Chicago, 86-92. So the standings-pendulum swung today, but not in the Mystics' favor.

The Sky's Sylvia Fowles, who missed several games due to a sprained ankle, returned to action tonight, coming off the bench to score 13 points -- for Chicago-- in nearly 17 minutes of play. Big Syl also scored 2 points for the Mystics on an "own goal." (Those points were credited to Chasity Melvin, the nearest Mystics player.) But the Mystics, playing the second half of a back-to-back, were still playing without their All-Star, Alana Beard, who was again on the bench in street clothes. (And therefore didn't score any points, for the Mystics or for the Sky.)

Unlike last night, however, when a balanced effort by AB's teammates secured a much-needed win, tonight the Mystics' offense was far more lopsided. Matee Ajavon had a career-high 32 points, while Crystal Langhorne had another double-double, putting up 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Lindsey Harding finished with 12 points, and Chas had 8 of her own, plus the 2 courtesy of Big Syl, to finish in double figures with 10.

But that was about it. The Mystics got practically no production from their wings, Mo & Marissa, and Washington's bench was MIA tonight, scoring a combined 5 points. By contrast, the Sky got a whopping 48 points from theirs!

But amazingly, being the gamers that they are, the Mystics still almost pulled this one out. In the last 5 minutes, they fought back from an 8-point deficit to grab a 1-point lead with 40 seconds left. But a failure by the Mystics to get a defensive stop, and a couple of turnovers and some fouls, allowed the Sky to grab the swing-game win.

Like last night, there were more than 50 fouls called in this game. The whistles interrupted play so often (particularly in the 4th quarter) that both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm. It got so painful that the Sky announcer repeatedly complained about the abundance of calls . . . even when some of the fouls were called on the Mystics. (For the record, the game wasn't decided by the officials. However, we agree with the announcer . . . it was very annoying.)

With tonight's loss, the Mystics drop to 15-16, and the Sky improve to 15-16. The two teams are now tied for 4th place in the East. Detroit, meanwhile, beat Indy to move to 15-15, and take sole possession of 3rd place. And the Sun (back at home after their West Coast swing) kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Liberty -- in OT -- and are now sitting just behind the Mystics and the Sky at 15-17. So this playoff race remains as close and wild as ever!

Which means, of course, that any one of the Mystics' remaining 3 games could make the difference between a playoff spot or an also-ran season. And the Mystics' next game should really test their mettle, as Washington now heads down to Indianapolis to face the Conference-leading Fever on Sunday at 4 PM. Indy has beaten Washington in all 3 previous meetings this season. Regardless (and we know we're sounding repetitive), with tonight's loss, Sunday's game is a MUST win.

Go Mystics, Beat Indy!