Entering the evening requiring a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Atlanta Dream survived, defeating the depleted Chicago Sky 86-70 at Gateway Center Arena.
Already without Angel Reese, the Sky also did not have the services of Kamilla Cardoso, sidelined with a shoulder injury, or Chennedy Carter, who was a late scratch due to a foot issue. Diamond DeShields also missed her fourth-straight game. The Dream did not fumble the favorable situation. While Chicago would cut Atlanta’s 14-point halftime lead to six at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dream steadied themselves, outscoring the Sky by eight points in the final frame to secure the 16-point win.
Jordin Canada led Atlanta with 18 points and five assists, with Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray adding matching 15-point efforts (while wearing matching goggles). With 16 points and 14 rebounds, Tina Charles notched the 193rd double-double of her career, tying her with Sylvia Fowles for the WNBA’s all-time mark. Charles will have the opportunity take sole ownership of the record in her hometown and against the team for which she formerly starred, as the Dream close out the season in New York against the Liberty on Thursday.
With a win (and hopefully a double-double for Charles), Atlanta would be in the playoffs, and set for a first-round series against New York. On Tuesday, the Liberty locked up the No. 1 seed with a win over the Mystics in Washington, 87-71. That victory also proved advantageous to the Dream. Yet, the Mystics can still steal the No. 8 seed.
If Atlanta loses on Thursday and Washington beats the Indiana Fever, the teams would be tied in the standings and the Mystics would own the tiebreaker. With the season series tied at 2-2, point differential would become the deciding factor. Currently, Washington’s scoring margin is -120 to Atlanta’s -121, a one-point difference that would widen with a Washington win and Atlanta loss. The politics of point differential make it highly unlikely for Chicago to claim the No. 8 seed. If the Dream lose to the Liberty, the Mystics lose to the Fever and the Sky beat the Connecticut Sun, Atlanta and Chicago, after splitting their season series 2-2, would be tied in the standings. However, with a point differential of -172, Chicago would need to blow out Connecticut and hope that the Liberty likewise rout the Dream.
Seeds No. 1 through No. 5 are set
In addition to the still-undetermined drama surrounding the No. 8 seed, the top-five…
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