NFL
By: Nick Andre
After a rough three-game road trip, the Atlanta Dream look to bounce back Friday night at home against the Chicago Sky. Their record currently stands at 15-16 following their loss to the Las Vegas Aces Sunday night. The 2023 WNBA season is winding down and the Dream must figure a way to get back on track following their recent struggles.
The Dream went into their road trip a week ago with momentum. On August 6, the team defeated the Indiana Fever 82-73 led by a well-rounded performance from Rhyne Howard, who scored 24 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. It was a great showing from Atlanta as they lost their previous two games against the Aces and Phoenix Mercury. The Dream went into their three-game road trip with expectations to find their rhythm as a collective. In two of the three matchups, they faced teams with an under .500 record with minimum expectations to make the Playoffs.
The Dream’s first game of the road trip resulted in a fourth-quarter collapse. While holding a 16-point lead towards the end of the third quarter, it looked as if they were on their way to their second straight victory. Unfortunately, they were outscored 21-7 in the final period. Give credit to the Storm for elevating their defensive intensity as well as making shots down the stretch. As Storm guard Jewell Loyd made a driving layup while fouled, her late shot sealed the deal in a 68-67 loss for Atlanta.
When Dream head coach Tanisha Wright gave her opening statement at the press conference, she stated that she blamed herself for the gut-wrenching defeat against Seattle. “I didn’t think I did a very good job in the last three minutes,” Wright stated. Unfortunately, Atlanta was unable to bounce back in Saturday night’s performance against the Sparks as well as in Sunday night’s affair with the Aces.
The biggest issue during the road trip was poor execution in the second half. The Dream displayed great first halves where they move the ball extremely well and find high-quality shots. Unfortunately, the momentum wasn’t able to carry over in crunch time. Over the last three games, the Dream have given up 24 points per game in the fourth quarter as they’ve only averaged 13.3.
The Dream have always utilized their home games to get back on track. As they face the Sky, it will be another challenge as they face a team who is trying to stay in the playoff race. Coach Tanisha Wright will have her team prepared for Friday night’s matchup. Led by Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, the All-Stars will set the tone that could lead to a bounce-back victory.
