The contrast in this regular season matchup is as sharp as a whistle, and it all starts with how these two teams guard. The 24-13 Atlanta Dream roll into crypto.com Arena at 10:00 PM EDT on Peacock and Victory+ ATL sporting a robust 12-7 road record, largely because they actually bother to contest shots. Atlanta is suffocating opponents to the tune of 85.8 points per game while putting up 91.4 themselves. Meanwhile, the 13-24 Los Angeles Sparks have treated their home floor like a runway, letting opponents glide to 92.9 points per game and limping to a 6-12 home record.
Even with Jaylyn Sherrod and Indya Nivar ruled out for Atlanta, the Dream possess too many ways to hurt you. Allisha Gray's 19.4 points per game provide the perimeter punch, while Angel Reese’s 12.0 rebounds per night ensure extra possessions. That puts an immense burden on LA’s Nneka Ogwumike, who leads her team in points (16.6) and rebounds (8.7) but can't play all five positions on defense. With Atlanta favored by -8.5 and the game total sitting at 183.5, lay the points with the team that actually stops somebody, or lock in your own prediction on StreakChat.