Happy Sunday, basketball fans. Welcome back to our WNBA coverage at Total Apex Sports. Today’s slate features four games. One of the games we will look at features the Connecticut Sun hosting the Atlanta Dream.
Can the Sun push their winning streak to three games, or will the Dream snap their three-game losing skid?
Here is a look at how each squad has performed coming into this Eastern Conference matchup.
Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream Game Details
Fixture: Atlanta Dream @ Connecticut Sun
Date and Time: July 7, 2024 @ 1:00 PM EST
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Network: NBCS-BOS and Peachtree TV
Team Review
Connecticut Sun
https://gty.im/1242312982
The Connecticut Sun got off to a great start, reeling off 13 wins in their first 14 games. Following that solid start, Connecticut has cooled off to an extent. They followed that hot start with a four-game stretch in which they dropped three of those games. Fortunately, the Sun has rediscovered its groove, posting wins in each of their last two games, including an 83-72 win over the Phoenix Mercury on July 1 and a 78-73 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night.
In the team’s win against the Lynx, three players in Connecticut’s starting five reached double figures. DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 24 points on a 10-of-16 effort from the field, and she converted two of her four attempts from 3-point range.
DiJonai Carrington finished with 17 points and six rebounds while knocking down 3 of 4 from deep. The living, breathing triple-double machine, Alyssa Thomas, contributed 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Atlanta Dream
On the other end of the spectrum, the Atlanta Dream got off to a respectable start, posting six wins in their first 12 contests. Since that start, however, things have been tumbling downhill, to say the least. Atlanta has produced only one win in their last seven games, including a pair of three-game losing streaks. Their most recent skid includes losses to the New York Liberty (81-75), Chicago Sky (85-77), and most recently, the Dallas Wings (85-82) on Friday night.
In that contest, four of the team’s starting five reached double figures. Allisha Gray paced the team’s offense with 19 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Haley Jones, who is averaging 5.9 points per game this season, added 16 points and four assists, connecting on seven of her nine shot attempts. Tina Charles contributed 12 points and eight rebounds but committed seven turnovers.
The Dream is ranked last in both scoring and efficiency. However, they shot 55.7 percent from the field and a somewhat respectable 33.3 percent from long range. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to keep this group from losing its sixth game over its last seven contests.
Potential Breakout Players Of The Game
Connecticut Sun
DeWanna Bonner is the Sun’s leading scorer. Alyssa Thomas finished second in last year’s MVP voting and can put up a triple-double on any given night. Given those factors, these are usually the first names that come to mind when talking about Connecticut. However, one player to keep a watchful eye on in this contest is DiJonai Carrington.
Carrington is averaging career-highs in points (13.4), rebounds (4.8), and assists (1.7). In addition to her 17-point effort in the team’s loss to the Lynx, she has scored at least 16 points four times across her last five outings. Simply put, the Sun have a legitimate third-scoring option when their main two stars have an off night.
Atlanta Dream
Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are the cogs that make this Dream squad go, as they both average a shade over 15 points per contest. The potential breakout player for this group is Tina Charles. Sure, she is a seasoned WNBA veteran who is playing in her 14th season, but she is putting up solid numbers.
This season, she has compiled averages of 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per outing on 46.5 shooting from the floor. She has topped the 20-point mark four times this season, proving that she is a player that opposing defenses must game plan for even in the latter stages of her career.
Can the Sun push their winning streak to three games, or will the Dream snap their three-game losing skid?
