Last night, the Atlanta Dream played their second to last game of the season against the Chicago Sky. The first quarter was a competitive one, but soon, the Sky started to slip, and the Dream kept on charging forward. There were small bursts of hope for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough to do any real damage. The away team ran out of gas while the home team kept plugging away. Atlanta would come away with the 86-70 win and become one step closer to a playoff berth after a tough season.
Atlanta Dream Starting five steers team to victory
After a few games of the starting five being shaky, they got the job done today with strong teamwork and consistency. Jordin Canada led in scoring with 18 points, and she also racked up five assists, three steals, and a block. Next up, Tina Charles had 16 points and was a monster on the boards with 14 rebounds. Charles was strong in the paint on both offense and defense, going 7-15 from the field.
Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard both came through with 15 points last night. Lastly, Naz Hillmon only had eight points, but she also contributed five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The bench wasn’t involved much during this game, but that didn’t matter, with every starter putting in the work. It’s clear that the team wanted this win and is hoping to finish with that eighth spot.
Chicago Sky hopeless with a bench full of starters
Rachel Banham and Lindsay Allen deserve a shout-out for the work they put in during that game. Banham had a 22-point game, and Allen had a 16-point game. Unfortunately, having a chunk of your best performers out due to injury almost always leads to a loss, especially against a determined team.
Kamilla Cardoso, Chennedy Carter, Diamond Deshields, and Angel Reese were all labeled out with injuries that happened during this final month. This was a huge blow to the roster last night, especially with how Carter has been playing recently. It’s a disappointing way to end the season. Hopefully, some of them can return against the Connecticut Sun for the final game of the year.
Atlanta’s final opponent
The Dream will face the New York Liberty tomorrow to finish the season. If they win and the Washington Mystics lose the Dream, they will clinch it. However, the Dream is 0-2 against the Liberty this season. Their starters will have to be just as awake as they were last night if they want to pull through. The first-place Liberty has been deadly all season and is not going to slow down just because it’s the final game.
The Mystics are facing the Indiana Fever, which could end in a blowout, but the last time these two faced, the Mystics got the upper hand and won. If Washington pulls off another one against Indiana and the Dream loses, the spot will go to Washington. This is why it’s very important that the Dream try to pull one out against the best in the league.
No matter which team ends up clinching, they will be up against New York, which has officially earned the best record for the season. It’ll most likely end with New York moving on to the next round and Atlanta or Washington being sent home. Neither of these teams is fully prepared for a playoff run, but they did make the eighth-place battle extremely interesting along with Chicago. All eyes should be on tomorrow night’s games as this long-lasting race will finally come to an end.