As if WNBA Opening Night wasn’t exciting enough, we have a team debut on the cards for Friday night. The Toronto Tempo have wrapped their first-ever offseason and are now gearing up for the first game in franchise history. Their opponent? A scrappy Washington Mystics team, looking to set the table for a surprising year. This one is going to be fun.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Tempo are -130 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while a Mystics upset is priced at +110. The spread favors Toronto by 1.5 points, and the game total is set at O/U 159.5.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Mystics-Tempo game.

Mystics vs. Tempo Preview

The Washington Mystics have a clear identity, and that only became clearer after this past draft. Already armed with Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin, who was retained in restricted free agency, the team’s size and physicality were clear strengths. So what did they do with their three first-round draft picks? Double, triple, and quadruple down on that strength. Lauren Betts, fresh off an NCAA title, brings a massive two-way presence to this frontcourt. Joining her will be former UCLA teammate Angela Dugalic, a promising forward who can give you minutes at center. They also added Cotie McMahon, a score-first forward with size. Prioritizing height, length, and physicality is one path to success in this league — and it’s clear that is where Washington is headed.

Many have complained about the fact that, despite the wing talents on the board, Washington did little to address its shooting issues. But this is still a rebuild, and it’s clear the front office thinks it can be acquired later. Sonia Citron will still shoot the cover off the ball, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see her put together an All-Star-type campaign as a sophomore. Losing Jacy Sheldon definitely hurts their backcourt, especially from a floor-spacing perspective, but it’s never a bad idea to scoop a first-round pick from the Chicago Sky. This Mystics team is too talent-deficient and unbalanced to be a serious playoff team this year, but they’re going to be fun to watch.

The Toronto Tempo, one of the two new WNBA franchises, looked at the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and said, “Yep, we’d like one of those.” It’s clear that the goal is to compete for the playoffs out of the gate, and you can see the vision. Bringing in Sandy Brondello, a two-time championship coach with 13 playoff appearances under her belt, is a tone-setter. They targeted win-now backcourt players in the offseason, taking Marina Mabrey in the expansion draft while giving Brittney Sykes a max contract. That’s one heck of a shot-making backcourt. Toronto also added Kiki Rice in the draft, another backcourt killer who can ply her trade off the bench in a lower-pressure role. Those three, plus Julie Allemand, make for one heck of a backcourt quartet.

But there are serious flaws in this roster, especially in the frontcourt. Toronto floated an offer at Mystics center Shakira Austin, but Washington wisely chose to match the offer sheet and retain her. It seems they scrambled a bit and now find themselves overly reliant on bench players to fill starting roles. Temi Fagbenle and Isabelle Harrison are both solid rotation bigs, but are likely to be counted on as starters, which is a bit of a stretch at this point in their careers. Nyara Sabally may prove to be a sharp expansion pickup, but is their third big in the rotation at worst — a role she never had to fill in New York.

Perhaps Brondello and the sheer backcourt talent are enough to push Toronto into playoff contention. But I’m not sold on them just yet. There’s plenty of time left to improve the team throughout the season, but there’s a reason why only one expansion team has ever made the playoffs.

Now we have a good idea what to expect from these teams. Who is going to come out the winner?

Mystics vs. Tempo Pick, Best Bet

What fascinates me about this matchup is that both teams feel like polar opposites in many respects. Washington is content to play the long game, while Toronto wants to hit the ground running. The Tempo are stacked in the backcourt and light in the frontcourt, while the Mystics are very much the opposite. A true clash of styles is always tough to predict, especially when one team is trying its hardest to win, while the other won’t mind some losses.

Still, it’s easier to overwhelm with frontcourt talent than it is with backcourt aptitude. Washington also has some strong defense in the backcourt — add to that the benefit of knowing Brittney Sykes’ play style. I expect the Mystics’ massive advantage on the boards and around the rim to be the difference in this game, spoiling the launch party for the Tempo.

Best Bet: Washington Mystics Moneyline (+110)