Atlanta Dream vs. Minnesota Lynx Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/4/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in WNBA action in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Atlanta Dream are on the road as they travel to face the Minnesota Lynx Friday night. Atlanta comes in off a 90-87 overtime win on the road over the Liberty Saturday in their most recent contest. Minnesota knocked off Connecticut 79-74 in overtime at home in their latest action Sunday. The teams split two meetings last season in the bubble with the “road” team winning both contests. In the most recent meeting, it was the Lynx taking an 88-79 victory on August 20, 2020. The teams have split the last eight meetings entering this one.
Atlanta Dream Looking to Maintain Momentum
Atlanta ran their win streak to four as they outlasted the Liberty in overtime on the road Saturday in their most recent contest. The Dream entered Thursday 4-2 on the year and held the fourth seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Against New York, Atlanta started strong, leading by 11 after the opening quarter and by as many as 13 in the first half. The Dream saw their lead trimmed to four at the half, to three after three quarters and actually trailed by two in the final minute of regulation before tying the game to force overtime. Atlanta trailed 87-84 with 1:17 to play in overtime but scored the game’s final six points to get the win. The Dream shot 46% from the field, including six of 21 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 45-36. Courtney Williams led Atlanta with 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, including a game-winning three-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime, in the victory.
The Dream is 4th in the league in scoring offense coming into this contest as they average 84.7 points a game this season. Atlanta is 8th in the league in rebounding (35 boards a night) and stands 10th in assists with an average of 17.8 per game. The Dream are 10th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 84.5 points a contest this season. Tiffany Hayes leads the team and is one of three players for the Dream scoring in double figures as she puts up 16.6 points a night. Chennedy Carter contributes 15.7 points plus 3.5 assists per contest. Odyssey Sims, Crystal Bradford, Tianna Hawkins, Elizabeth Williams, Monique Billings, Courtney Williams (19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds), Aari McDonald and Shekinna Strickland are other key rotation pieces for coach Nicki Collen. The Dream are 7th in field goal percentage as they shoot 42% from the floor as a team. Atlanta stands eighth in threes per game (6.5) and 6th in three-point percentage as they hit 34.2% of their long-range attempts. The Dream is 12th in the league in free throw percentage as they shoot 70.1% from the stripe as a team this year. Cheyenne Parker remains in the league’s health and safety protocols and likely is out for this contest. Carter (elbow) is out indefinitely after getting injured in the game against the Liberty May 29.
Minnesota Lynx Hoping to Build Off First Win
Minnesota got in the win column for the first time in their most recent contest as they took down the Sun at home. The Lynx entered Thursday 1-4 on the year and sat 11th in the WNBA, half a game behind the Mystics for the final playoff spot. Against Connecticut, Minnesota trailed by 12 after the opening quarter but chipped away at the deficit. The Lynx cut the deficit to four at the half, by two after three quarters and forced overtime. In the extra session, Minnesota trailed by two with 2:04 to play before going on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to get the victory. The Lynx shot 40% from the field, including 10 of 25 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 38-28. Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 11th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 75.8 points per game. Minnesota is 10th in rebounding as they collect 34.6 boards a night while the team is fifth in assists by dishing 19.8 dimes a night. The Lynx are sixth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 81.8 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles leads the team with 19.2 points plus 9.2 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (12.4 points), Crystal Dangerfield (10.2 points, four assists) and Aerial Powers (11 points, five rebounds, 4.3 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (12.5 points, five rebounds, four assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon, Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands ninth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 39.9% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 9th in the league in three-pointers per game (5.8) and 11th in three-point shooting as they hit only 27.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 8th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 78.5% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers (hamstring) and Rennia Davis (foot) are out.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx -6.5
Both teams are coming off wins in their last game and are well rested with the Dream not playing since Saturday while the Lynx have been off since Sunday. Atlanta has won four straight games but the loss of Carter is a big blow for them as she was really helping shoulder the load on the offensive end of the floor. Minnesota got a boost with the return of Collier to the mix and plugging Clarendon in after being picked up off waivers. The Lynx are at home here and they have played better in the last couple of games. Taking down Connecticut at home gave Minnesota confidence. They use that momentum to come up with the victory here in a tight matchup.
Total: Under 160.5
Atlanta has seen the under hit in three of their six games but their first matchup with the Sky fell half a point short while their win over Indiana fell 1.5 points shy of the mark. We saw what can happen when the Dream locks up with a team that likes to push the pace and run in Saturday’s contest with the Liberty. Minnesota has seen the under hit in three of their five games as they continue to have some issues when it comes to knocking down shots. The Lynx ended up under the total in games against Phoenix and New York, two teams that are capable of putting up big point totals. Atlanta is in the middle of the pack and without help from the Lynx, this one ends up short of the total.
