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Losers in five of its last six games, including
all three on last week's Western Conference road swing, Atlanta
will push for homecourt advantage in the first round of the WNBA
playoffs when it hosts the Chicago Sky on Friday night in
College Park, Ga.
The Dream (15-16) are 1 1/2 games behind the Dallas Wings for
the No. 4 seed, the cutoff for homecourt advantage once the
playoffs begin. But recent trends show an ominous sign,
particularly with inconsistent defense. During its six-game
stumble, Atlanta has allowed at least 85 points four times.
Coupled with shooting woes by top scorer Rhyne Howard, wins have
been hard to come by. Howard is only 31-of-88 (35.2 percent)
over the last six games, although she still averages 17.5 points
per game on the season.
Chicago (12-18) also is in search of better play. The Sky have
dropped three in a row, including an 83-76 decision on Sunday at
Washington, to fall into a tie with Los Angeles for the eighth
and final playoff spot.
"We weren't prepared well and that is my responsibility," said
Chicago interim coach Emre Vatansever. "I take ownership of
that. I could have prepared them well and I didn't."
Defense has been a big problem for Chicago. The team allowed at
least 83 points in eight straight games, coughing up 107 last
month in a loss at Las Vegas. For a team in the middle of the
league in scoring at 80.5 points per game, it has been a recipe
for failure.
Kahleah Copper is pacing the Sky's scoring attack at 18.9
points, while Marina Mabrey is at 15.0 points and Courtney
Williams contributes 10.1.
The Dream are aiming for a season sweep of Chicago. They've won
the first three meetings, including an 83-65 decision on May 30
in College Park.
--Field Level Media
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