Desperately needing to snap a losing skid, the Atlanta Dream hope their extended time off pays dividends when they host the Seattle Storm on Thursday in College Park, Ga.
Atlanta (12-9) enters the matchup riding a five-game losing streak — its longest since an eight-game stretch in 2024. The Dream haven’t played since July 4, when an 88-83 home loss to the Golden State Valkyries prolonged a forgettable two-week slide.
Second-year head coach Karl Smesko’s team shot less than 40% from the field in four of its five losses while averaging 78 points per game across the losing streak. The Dream had eclipsed the 100-point mark in three of its last four games before the bleak stretch. The first four losses came on the road.
“I think everybody on our team still has a pretty high level of confidence,” Smesko said. “I think we understand that we’ve gone through a little bit of a shooting dip and that we’re more than capable of hitting a higher percentage of shots that we’re getting.”
Rhyne Howard’s 18.9 points per game lead the Dream while Allisha Gray adds 18.5. Angel Reese provides 14.9 points and a league-best 11.8 rebounds per contest.
Meanwhile, Seattle (6-17) has begun to see its luck change following a woeful start to the season. Following an 11-game losing streak, the Storm have won three of their last five. That includes the 82-64 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday that improved Seattle’s league-worst road record to 2-9.
For head coach Sonia Raman, the Storm’s defensive mentality will be the deciding factor in continuing the team’s momentum during the second leg of a five-game road trip.
“We really want to make our identity on that side of the floor because it’s going to fuel us on the other end, big time,” Raman said. “I think (Monday) was a really good step forward. It’s just another step in our season.”
Dominique Malonga paces Seattle with 15.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over 15 contests, followed by Natisha Hiedeman’s 15.4 scoring average over 23 games.
First-round pick Flau’jae Johnson (12.7 ppg) has scored at least 23 points in three of Seattle’s last five outings. The Storm won those three games, but lost the ones where the rookie guard managed one and 11 points.
–Field Level Media
