The Atlanta Dream look to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they travel for a Sunday afternoon game against an Indiana Fever team coming off two successive wins.
Atlanta (2-1) and Indiana (2-2) will play two consecutive games in Indianapolis, with the second scheduled for Tuesday night.
The Dream lost 96-73 to the visiting Las Vegas Aces on Friday. They were beset by their 19 turnovers and defensive breakdowns that allowed Las Vegas to record 24 assists while shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from 3-point range.
“The offense got stagnant,” Atlanta first-year coach Tanisha Wright said. “Because of that, they got the ball, and now, we’re just throwing it all over the place.”
Second-year guard Aari McDonald scored a career-high 20 points off the bench for Atlanta. Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, was Atlanta’s only other scorer in double figures with 13 points. She made 4 of 10 shots from the field, including both of her 3-point attempts.
After missing Indiana’s first three games while playing in Turkey, Danielle Robinson made her season debut with the Fever in their 92-86 victory Friday on the road against the New York Liberty.
The score was tied as the fourth quarter wound down when Robinson came up with a steal in the closing seconds and dribbled down the court for a potential winning layup. She missed the shot, a heartbeat after the buzzer, however, sending the game to overtime.
Robinson promptly took over the game scoring eight points in overtime, giving her 17 for the game. The Fever got 24 from Kelsey Mitchell and 20 from Victoria Vivians.
“Having D-Rob back and having her to be able to point us in the right direction as far as where we need to be, especially in crunch time situations is very important,” Mitchell said. “It was amazing. We wrapped our arms around her as far as her leadership, and we’re gonna continue to need her.”
It was the Fever’s first win overtime win since 2015.
Indiana set a franchise record with 57 rebounds, surpassing the 50 against the Detroit Shock on Sept. 4, 2009.
–Field Level Media