The Dream look to bounce back in D.C.
Atlanta — The Atlanta Dream will travel to face the Washington Mystics as they look to move a game over .500 for the season. The Mystics lead the overall series 27-31, but the Dream have won the last three games between the two teams.
The game will mark the first meeting between the two teams this season.
In the last matchup, Atlanta defeated Washington 90-75. The Dream lost their last game to the Minnesota Lynx 79-92 to push their overall record to 2-2 and 1-1 at home on the early season.
The Dream will be led by former number one overall pick Rhyne Howard. Howard became the youngest WNBA player since Swin Cash in 2003 to record at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in the game against the Lynx. She reached the milestone at 24 years old, while Cash reached it at 23 years and 275 days old. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus finished just shy of a double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds for the night.
Atlanta will also look to continue their strong bench play as they outscored Minnesota 25-9 there. The Dream will need Tina Charles to continue to dominate the interior, as she is averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season. Atlanta outscored Minnesota in the paint in their last game 30-24. Howard and Charles seem to be one of the better duos in the league, and they make it very challenging for opponents on a consistent basis.
The Mystics are the only current winless team in the WNBA, as they are 0-6 through the first 6 games. Their most recent loss was against a tough Seattle Storm team as they were defeated 101-69.
The Mystics are led by former Texas guard Ariel Atkins, who is averaging 12.3 points and 3.5 assists per game. 6-foot-5 Shakira Austin has been a force for the Mystics, currently averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
The game will be held at the Entertainment and Sports Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM EDT. Defense will be very important in the game as the Dream are 1-0 when limiting opponents to fewer than 80 points and when opponents shoot under 40%.