It's a showdown in the desert as the Atlanta Dream, holding an 11-21 record, hit the road to take on the Phoenix Mercury with a standing of 16-17 tonight. As reported by Atlanta News Now, viewers can catch the action on PeachtreeTV or across the Peachtree Sports Network. The Mercury, looking to leverage their 9-7 home court advantage, come off a season peppered by up-and-down performances.
Leading the charge for the Dream is Tina Charles, who, after netting a solid 23 points against the Los Angeles Sparks, looks to elevate her team's away-game record from a shaky 5-11. Phoenix, while hosting the Dream, intends to outscore their competitors and inch above the .500 mark. The teams are familiar opponents, with their last contest ending in a nail-biting 82-80 Mercury win, largely thanks to a powerful 22-point contribution from Brittney Griner, according to the AP News.
On the stats sheet, Phoenix is not missing its shots, flaunting a 44.2% field goal efficiency that overshadows Atlanta's 42.4% opponent field goal percentage. The Dream's offense meanwhile struggles a bit more, putting up only 76.1 points per game, a dip from Phoenix's allowance of 84.8 points. However, Atlanta can boat about Charles, who's been a consistent force on the boards, averaging 9.2 rebounds per game.
Both teams hope to rectify their mixed performances over the past 10 games, where the Mercury and the Dream both posted 4 wins against 6 losses. With injuries sidelining key players like the Mercury's Charisma Osborne and Rebecca Allen, alongside Atlanta's Aerial Powers, depth and adaptability will be the night's watchwords. As both teams prepare for their fourth face-off this season, fans should expect a determined effort from the Dream to even the score and from the Mercury to hold domineering their home court.
