Two days after Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne returned to action for the first time since early July, she was sidelined again.
The two-time WNBA MVP missed Sunday's 97-84 Mystics loss to the visiting Dallas Wings with a right hip injury. Previously, Delle Donne had been out with a left ankle injury. Mystics coach Eric Thibault said the hip issue came up a bit during her recovery period from the ankle sprain, but Delle Donne felt ready to come back.
However, the hip was jarred during Friday's victory on the road over the Indiana Fever. Delle Donne played 11 minutes in that game, none in the second half.
"As you try to ramp people back up, it's a little unpredictable always what's going to happen," Thibault said of Delle Donne's return from the ankle injury, only to be sidelined by something else. "I don't have a feel yet for a timetable. But [the hip] is the issue now. Her ankle feels good."
Guard Ariel Atkins also returned Friday from an ankle injury after having been out since July 11. She played 14 minutes then, scoring six points, and 16 minutes Sunday, scoring 13 points.
"It felt good to be a teammate again," Atkins said of being back in action.
Center Shakira Austin, who played Aug. 13 and Friday after a lengthy absence with a hip injury, missed Sunday as a planned recovery day, but she should be available for Tuesday's game against the Connecticut Sun.
Friday was the first time since June that the Mystics had Delle Donne, Atkins and Austin all available, but now it's uncertain when that might happen again.
Delle Donne won her second MVP award in 2019, leading the Mystics to the WNBA championship despite what turned out to be serious back issues. She missed the 2020 season and all but three games of 2021. She played 25 games last season, and has appeared in 16 games this year.
Delle Donne will turn 34 on Sept. 5, and she said coming into this season that she felt the healthiest she had in a long time.
At 15-17, the Mystics are still in playoff position, tied in sixth place with the Minnesota Lynx. Guard Natasha Cloud, who led Washington with 22 points Sunday, said the Mystics have to stay mentally strong for their remaining eight regular-season games, no matter which players are available.
"It's not been easy, and it won't be easy," Cloud said. "But we have to continue to lead, not only vocally but with our body language as well. It falls on everyone on the squad stepping up, and we're going to continue to do that."