Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun Prediction
The Eastern Conference-leading Connecticut Sun will host the Atlanta Dream this Friday night.
HISTORY: This will be the second time these two teams meet up this season. Connecticut has won five of the last seven matchups, while the hosting team has won the last three games.
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Atlanta In Search of Answers
After closing out May with four straight wins, Atlanta (6-11) had an abysmal month of June. They’ve dropped nine of their last eleven games, with four of those losses coming by 20 points or more. Their last outing resulted in a loss to the Las Vegas Aces, which was their fifth road loss in a row. A last-minute coaching change hasn’t yielded positive results for the Dream.
Injuries and a lack of size have negatively affected Atlanta’s season so far. Leading scorer Tiffany Hayes averages 17.6 ppg, but the veteran guard has been out since June 17th and she’s set to miss her sixth straight game. Courtney Williams has been a lone bright spot for Atlanta. She’s averaging a career-high 17.4, and a team leading 6.5 rpg and 4.1 APG.
The third-leading scorer Chennedy Carter averages 14.2 ppg, but she missed a huge chunk of that tough June the Dream endured. Hayes’ and Carter’s absences have inadvertently paved the way for guards Crystal Bradford and Odyssey Sims to receive more playing time. Bradford scores 8.2 ppg, while Sims dishes out 3.8 APG.
Cheyenne Parker and Monique Billings line up in the frontcourt. Parker missed the first month of the season, and she’s coming off of a season-high 18 points in the loss to Las Vegas. Billings scores 6.1 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (6.4)
Sun Looking to Bounce Back
Connecticut (12-6) responded to a three-game losing streak in June by winning four of their next five games. An uncharacteristic loss to the Indiana Fever would end that streak, but they’ll have a chance to avenge the blunder this Friday. They enter with the size advantage and home court on their side, so things might just go well for them.
Star forward Jonquel Jones’ struggled against Indiana, scoring 16 points on 5-17 shooting while dealing with foul trouble. The MVP candidate missed five games, but she’s averaging a career-high 21.1 PPG and a league-leading 10.2 RPG. Fifth-year center Brionna Jones was just named WNBA Player of the Week, and she’s averaging career highs of 14.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG.
Veteran guard DeWanna Bonner continues to be a steady two-way presence in year 12. She’s averaging 15.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and a career-best 3.7 APG. Former Duke guard Jasmine Thomas runs the offense, and she averages 11.5 PPG while leading the Sun in assists (4.0). Briann January joins them in the backcourt, while Natisha Hiedeman is the spark plug off of the bench.
Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun Prediction | Players to Watch
Jonquel Jones
The 2x WNBA All-Star returned on Tuesday and put up 23 points, and a season-high 16 rebounds in a blowout win over fellow MVP candidate Tina Charles and the Washington Mystics. She should get back on track here against a small Atlanta squad.
Courtney Williams
Revenge games are always interesting, and while they aren’t likely to pull an upset, look for Williams to try and take it to her former team early. She’d blossomed after a trade to Connecticut, and she’s playing the best basketball of her career in Atlanta.
Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun Prediction & Pick
Connecticut simply has too much size to drop this game. Jonquel and Brionna Jones are going to have their way on the block, while Bonner is going to likely neutralize Courtney Williams. Atlanta’s traveling to take on the conference leaders without their best player.
This bad stretch of play isn’t likely to end here. After losing to the Indiana Fever, the Sun may enter this home game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. All signs point to a Connecticut win here, so bet on the Sun to win, and cover the spread.
