Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Dream face a pivotal matchup tonight with key frontcourt player Angel Reese sidelined by injury.
- The team's recent slide has coincided with struggles from beyond the arc, which could prove decisive against a high-scoring opponent like the Sparks.
- Tonight's game could determine whether the Dream stay in contention or falls further behind in the playoff race before the All-Star break.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Atlanta Dream's season has come to a screeching halt. They started the season dominantly, going 12-4 through their first 16 games. They then lost five in a row, including three to the Golden State Valkyries. Last week, we saw a slight bounce-back when Atlanta handed Seattle an 89-78 loss. However, the rise didn't last long. They were forced to take on the Portland Fire without one of their biggest stars, Angel Reese. Despite strong performances from the other Dream starters, the Fire handed Atlanta a 102-92 loss.
Going from being one of the WNBA's top contending teams to being pushed out of the top five is not necessarily where the Dream want to be midseason. They have three games remaining before the All-Star break to try to get things back on track — it starts tonight as they take on the Los Angeles Sparks, but they might still be without their frontcourt threat.
Angel Reese is questionable for the matchup with the Sparks
Angel Reese has been listed as questionable for tonight's game due to a right leg injury. The injury occurred during the Dream's win over the Seattle Storm on July 9. With about a minute remaining in the game, Reese rolled her right ankle. She had to be helped off the court. During the Dream's following game against the Portland Fire, Reese was seen on the bench wearing a boot.
Reese is an incredibly hard player to replace on the court. She is one of only two players in the WNBA averaging a double-double this season. She puts up 15.0 points and a league-leading 11.7 rebounds per game. Atlanta could be sent a saving grace tonight, as forward Brionna Jones is also listed as questionable for tonight's matchup. Jones has not made her season debut. She has been rehabbing a knee injury that she suffered during the offseason. Last season, Jones averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
If the Dream are forced to play without Reese tonight, and Jones isn't able to make her debut, the frontcourt will be run a bit thin.
Projected Fever starting lineup without Angel Reese
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Jordin Canada | PG | Isabel Borlase |
Allisha Gray | SG | Te-Hina Paopao |
Rhyne Howard | SF | |
Naz Hillmon | PF | Sika Koné |
Madina Okot | C |
With this rotation, the Dream will rely heavily on Howard, Hillmon and Okot to do most of the work in the paint. In the loss to Portland, they did a great job picking up the weight. Atlanta won the rebound battle 32-26. However, take that with a grain of salt because the Fire are the worst rebounding team in the league. Luckily for the Dream, tonight's battle could be similar. The Sparks are second-to-last in rebounds per game across the league and their opponents average 36.6 rebounds per game.
What hurt Atlanta the most against the Fire, and quite frankly over its last seven games, had nothing to do with Reese's absence. The Dream's 3-point shooting has been struggling and it becomes more detrimental when their opponents shoot well. On Saturday, the Fire drained 14 threes, shooting at 48 percent. The Dream shot only 20 percent from beyond the arc, draining six 3-pointers.
Despite having one of the worst defenses in the league, the Sparks are still a high-scoring offense. And even though Los Angeles has been missing its top scorer, Kelsey Plum, they've put together two impressive wins in a row. Most recently, against the Chicago Sky, the Sparks drained 14 3-pointers, shooting at 45 percent. Nneka Ogwumike and Rae Burrell combined for seven of those.
Tonight, Atlanta will have to focus on guarding the perimeter. Even if Reese is unavailable, the Dream are still better off forcing the Sparks into the paint to go toe-to-toe with Okot and Howard than they are letting them get hot from beyond the arc.
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