Two weeks ago, anyone you asked would have said the Atlanta Dream were WNBA championship contenders. Five straight losses later, it’s hard to be so sure. One of those losses came against the rebuilding Seattle Storm, who are threatening to have the worst record in the league. Can the Dream get back on track and exact some revenge? Or will the Storm find a way to frustrate them once again?
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Dream is a 10.5-point home favorite with -600 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Storm upset is priced at +440, with the game total set at O/U 168.5 points.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Storm-Dream game.
Storm vs. Dream Preview
It was never expected to be a pretty season in the Emerald City. After their veteran mass exodus in the offseason, the youth movement is in full swing, and it has led to some rocky results early on. But things have been promising as of late. Their young core — Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam, Flau’jae Johnson, and Jade Melbourne — is beginning to gel together, especially on the defensive end of the floor. They’ve won three of their last five games, including multiple wins over playoff teams. Now that Ezi Magbegor is back from a long injury layoff, the vision for this team is starting to come together.
In their 105-90 win over the Dream on June 27, it was the rookie show from Seattle. Fam got scorching hot, scoring 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-6 from deep. Her fellow first-round pick, Johnson, dominated all over, scoring 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting with 11 boards, four assists, and two steals. Along with a Malonga double-double, it was an excellent showing from the youth movement. MIP candidate Natisha Hiedeman continues to be an excellent veteran presence for their youngsters and a more than capable floor general. Atlanta will have to place a lot of pressure on Seattle’s starting point guard.
On the bright side for the Dream, the Storm are not the Valkyries. Three of the losses in their five-game skid came against Golden State, and they’ll be happy not to see lavender jerseys across from them on Thursday night. But they will still need to be better to snap this streak.
It all comes down to the stars. Atlanta’s bench is light on scoring (and overall talent). Still, they boast one of the best starting lineups in the league. Unfortunately, the starters have let them down recently. Allisha Gray, in particular, has been rough recently, and their five-game skid coincides with a major shooting slump for their All-Star sniper. Rhyne Howard has shot them out of some games, and Angel Reese’s offensive efficiency hasn’t been there either. While the defensive results remain strong, the inconsistencies on offense have sunk them during this losing streak.
To get back on track, it begins with the backcourt. Seattle’s paint defense has been quite strong between Malonga and Magbegor. Fam and Johnson are intriguing defensive forwards to move around. Still, the backcourt defense can be a problem at times. Gray and Howard will have their shots if they want them, especially beyond the arc. On the other end, it’s a lot of pressure on Reese to contain the paint and go to work on the glass. Luckily for the Dream, those are her specialties, but they need more out of her than they got in the previous matchup between these two teams.
Storm vs. Dream Pick, Best Bet
Look, the Dream is the far better team here, in almost every facet of the game. But it’s difficult to ignore Atlanta’s recent struggles and frustrations. Seattle is playing like a team with nothing to lose, and that mentality seems to work. I can’t ignore the value of the Storm here.
