Sitting on opposite ends of the league standings, the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Dream will host the last-place Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night in College Park, Ga.
Atlanta (5-2) enters the matchup winner of three of its last four. Offseason addition Angel Reese is coming off arguably her best output with the Dream, finishing with team highs of 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in an 86-66 victory at the Portland Fire on Friday.
For second-year head coach Karl Smesko, Reese is a player Atlanta is comfortable playing through.
“I think she’s somebody we want to be able to handle the ball and make decisions,” Smesko said of Reese. “We’re just looking for her to make the right decision. Sometimes it’ll be going to the basket and finishing if she has the advantage. If they’re sending two at her, it’ll be to move it to our shooters. It’s just about making the right basketball play based on what the defense is doing.”
Reese is averaging 13.1 points and a team-high 11 rebounds per game. Allisha Gray paces Atlanta with 20.4 ppg, followed by Rhyne Howard’s 16.5.
Connecticut (2-8), meanwhile, is hoping to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. After dropping eight of nine to begin the year, the Sun earned a rare win Saturday, inching past the visiting Los Angeles Sparks 84-81.
Head coach Rachid Meziane’s team will be in a familiar spot Tuesday — playing away from home. Connecticut played five straight road games before returning home for Saturday’s victory. Riding a jolt of momentum, the Sun head out for a short road trip against Atlanta and the Chicago Sky.
“I think we stayed together during that road trip, even if we were losing games,” Meziane said. “We have shown a lot of resilience. I hope we can build some confidence. Unfortunately, we have to travel again for our next two games. We will enjoy the win, but we want more.”
Connecticut, the lowest scoring team in the league (75.6 ppg) entering Monday, is led by veteran Brittney Griner’s 13.5 points and Aneesah Morrow’s 12 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Griner played a career-high 39 games with Atlanta last season before signing a one-year deal with the Sun in April.
–Field Level Media
