The Dallas Wings (3-2) travel to College Park, GA to play the Atlanta Dream (2-1) at Gateway Center Arena Friday at 6:30pm CST. The Wings enter this game on a two-game win streak, having notched convincing wins against this week against Washington at home and Chicago on the road. Friday’s matchup will be the Dream’s first action since Sunday, when its comeback came up just shy against Las Vegas in an 85-84 thriller.
These teams met May 12 with the Dream prevailing 77-72 in Arlington. For the Wings,
the biggest difference between that game and now is guard Azzi Fudd, who was unavailable against the Dream but has scored 12 points off the bench in each of the last two wins. Another difference is the club’s recent improvement in the second halves of games. Dallas has led at halftime in each of its five contests, but lost control down the stretch in each of its first three games before closing out the Mystics and Sky this week.
Led in scoring by former Wing Allisha Gray (25.0 points per game), the Dream use a short rotation of talented players with a broad range of skills. Gray leads a backcourt full of threats, from Jordin Canada’s midrange and drives to Te-hina Paopao’s three-point shooting. Guard Rhyne Howard, held to 3-14 shooting by Wings guard Paige Bueckers May 12, missed Sunday’s game with a concussion but practiced Thursday. For the Wings, Bueckers and Fudd are joined in the backcourt by Arike Ogunbowale and Odyssey Sims, whose aggressive driving to the rim and deadly three-point shooting have set the tone for the league’s third-highest scoring offense (91.2 ppg). Maddy Siegrist, scoreless against the Sky after totaling double figures in each of the previous two games, can help the team if she unlocks her shot from long range.
Atlanta, the league’s leading rebounding team with 45.0 boards per game, also boasts some formidability up front. Forward Angel Reese, the crown jewel of the team’s offseason, is a punishing post player, rebounder, and rim protector looking to kick the turnover bug. One of the team’s most intriguing players, rookie center Madina Okot, made the most of her increased playing time in the Vegas game with 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 11 boards. With newly arrived bigs Jessica Shepard, who posted the league’s first triple-double of the season in Wednesday’s win, Alanna Smith, and Awak Kuwier, the Wings have the size to keep up.
How to watch
Friday’s game will be broadcast on ION.
