Amid a disappointing start to their four-game road trip, the Atlanta Dream will look to find their way out of a rare rough patch on Saturday night against the lowly Seattle Storm.
Atlanta (12-6) has lost back-to-back games for the first time this year — dropping a pair of road contests against the Golden State Valkyries. Despite holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, the Dream’s frustration is beginning to bubble over.
“We don’t get the kind of respect from officials that we deserve,” Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said after the team’s 78-75 loss on Friday. “Some of the stuff that went on today was bizarre and we’ll turn it in and talk about it. … Just excuse after excuse for why they missed the call. That’s why the players get as frustrated as they do.”
After scoring at least 90 points in each of their previous five games, the Dream have averaged 70.5 points across their last two losses.
Allisha Gray is the team’s leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, followed by Rhyne Howard’s 18.1.
Seattle (4-15), meanwhile, enters the lone home meeting with Atlanta fresh off a rare victory. The Storm snapped a franchise-record 11-game losing streak on Thursday in a 99-88 win over the New York Liberty.
In a forgettable start to the year for first-year head coach Sonia Raman’s team, each game presents an opportunity to crawl back from a disastrous first two months of the season.
“It’s a young group, and every day they step on the floor, they’re learning, they’re growing and they’re really committed to that process,” Raman said. “They’re elite learners and that’s something that is a skill.”
Rookie Flau’Jae Johnson delivered a career-high 28 points against New York. The LSU product’s 12.3 points per game rank fifth among rookies. Given a chance to be a year-long starter with the struggling club, Johnson continues to produce while the Storm take their lumps.
“She’s really hungry to compete, hungry to win, hungry to do what it takes to impact winning,” Raman said of Johnson. “She’s a rookie, so all of this is new to her, but I’m really proud of what she’s done.”
Dominique Malonga’s 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest lead the Storm, while Natisha Hiedeman chips in 15.4 points and a team-high 4.6 assists per game.
–Field Level Media
