Atlanta Dream vs. Minnesota Lynx Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/6/21
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 in the second game of a two-game set Sunday night. In the first meeting on Friday night, it was the Lynx coming up with a narrow 86-84 victory to draw first blood. That gave Minnesota three wins in the last four meetings between the teams, including the last two. Can the Dream find a way to bounce back and earn a split on the road or will the retooled Lynx extend their winning ways on their home floor in this contest?
Atlanta Dream Trying to Gain Ground in Playoff Picture
Atlanta battled to the wire but saw their four-game win streak come to an end as they were dropped in the opening game of this two-game road set. The Dream fell to 4-3 overall and held the sixth seed in the WNBA playoff picture entering Saturday’s action. In Friday’s contest, Atlanta trailed by eight early but cut the deficit to two after the opening quarter of play. The Dream led by one at the half and held a nine-point edge midway through the third quarter. Atlanta’s lead was five after three quarters and they were up seven with 8:29 to play before seeing Minnesota rally. The teams traded the lead several times in the final five minutes. Tiffany Hayes tied the game at 84 with 5.2 seconds to play but the Dream gave up a pair of free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining to end up with the loss. Atlanta shot 42.9% from the field, including 12 of 29 from three-point range, but hurt themselves by going 12 of 20 at the free throw line while turning the ball over 18 times. Hayes led the Dream with 23 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
The Dream is 4th in the league in scoring offense coming into this contest as they average 84.6 points a game this season. Atlanta is 10th in the league in rebounding (34.6 boards a night) and stands tied for 9th in assists with an average of 18.1 per game. The Dream are 8th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 84.7 points a contest this season. Tiffany Hayes is one of three players for the Dream scoring in double figures as she puts up 17.7 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 (18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists), 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 42.1% from the floor as a team. Atlanta stands seventh in threes per game (7.3) and 6th in three-point percentage as they hit 35.7% of their long-range attempts. The Dream is 12th in the league in free throw percentage as they shoot 68.7% 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 Momentum at Home
Minnesota went down to the final seconds but managed to come up with the final punch in the contest to earn their second straight victory. The Lynx improved to 2-4 on the season and entered Saturday tied with Washington for the final playoff spot in the WNBA playoff picture. Minnesota led by eight early in the game only to trail by one at the half. The Lynx were down nine in the third quarter and by seven in the fourth quarter before rallying. In a back-and-forth final five minutes, it was Minnesota getting the last laugh on a pair of Napheesa Collier free throws with 1.5 seconds to play, breaking an 84-84 tie. The Lynx shot 52.6% from the field, including eight of 21 from three-point range, and hit 18 of 24 free throws to help offset 20 turnovers. Collier had 26 points, seven rebounds and three steals to lead Minnesota in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 10th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 77.5 points per game. Minnesota is 11th in rebounding as they collect 34 boards a night while the team is fifth in assists by dishing 19.8 dimes a night. The Lynx are seventh in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 82.2 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles leads the team with 17.3 points plus 9.5 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (13.2 points), Crystal Dangerfield (10.7 points, 3.8 assists) and Aerial Powers (11 points, five rebounds, 4.3 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (17 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (13 points, four assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands eighth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.7% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 9th in the league in three-pointers per game (6.2) and 11th in three-point shooting as they hit only 29.1% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 8th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 78.6% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers (hamstring) and Rennia Davis (foot) are out.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx -5.5
Missing Carter is going to impact the Dream in the short term as she had really stepped up to be an offensive threat in the last few games. It takes a valuable scoring guard out of the small ball lineup for the Dream, which has had success after the team’s slow start. With Collier back and rounding into form, coupled with the addition of Clarendon, the Lynx are a vastly improved team from the one that started the season with four straight losses. Playing at home, you have to think that Minnesota has the upper hand, especially with Carter’s absence for the Dream. Give the Lynx the upper hand here.
Total: Under 163
Atlanta has seen the over hit in four of their seven 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. Minnesota has seen the under hit in three of their six 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. While the teams went over the mark Friday night, it’s hard seeing the Lynx shooting better than 50% from the floor again. Atlanta is in the middle of the pack offensively and without help from the Lynx, this one ends up short of the total.
