Natasha Cloud secures 30-5-5 playoff feat never seen before in Mystics franchise history
20/09/2023 04:09
Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud made franchise history on Tuesday. She became the first Mystics player ever to record 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Natasha Cloud led all scorers in the Game 2 of the Mystics’ first-round playoff series against the New York Liberty on Tuesday. She made 12 of her 22 shot attempts and drained five of her seven three-point attempts. Cloud did a little bit of everything: she also had eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals in the heartbreaking loss.
Despite the loss, Natasha Cloud put up a career-high 33 points
She became the first player in @WashMystics history to record at least 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game
— ESPN (@espn) September 20, 2023
Cloud’s performance came as a bit of a shock considering she averaged just 10.7 points in the regular season. Cloud upped the ante in Game 3 and showed up with all guns blazing. She even outscored 2023 WNBA MVP candidate Breanna Stewart, 33-27. Amazingly, Natasha Cloud’s performance caught the attention of four-time NBA MVP LeBron James.
Despite Cloud’s memorable night, the Mystics came up short. They lost to the Liberty 90-85 in overtime.
Cloud predicted the Liberty will have “a rude awakening” in Game 2. Her prediction almost became a reality. The seventh-seeded Mystics gave the second-seeded Liberty all they could handle. To Natasha Cloud’s dismay, New York emerged victorious.
Now, Breanna Stewart and the Liberty will advance and face the winner of the Connecticut Sun .vs Minnesota Lynx playoff series. Sadly, Natasha Cloud and the Mystics are packing their bags of the offseason.
Despite the humbling playoff loss to the Liberty, Natasha Cloud has something to build on in the 2024 WNBA season. She averaged 18.5 points per game in last season’s WNBA playoffs and came up big againt this year. Hopefully, that trend will continue in 2024 and beyond.
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