Dream aim to have defense in order vs. Kelsey Plum-led Mercury

Jockeying for position at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Dream will be eager to remove a bad taste from their mouth when they host the new-look Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday in College Park, Ga.

Atlanta (18-11), which sits a half-game behind the first-place Indiana Fever, is coming off its worst defensive showing of the season. The Dream allow 86.1 points per game (fifth-best in the WNBA), but surrendered a season-high 109 points in a 22-point loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Monday.

"Hopefully we have the mindset coming off a loss that we feel we can play better and that we go out there and prove it," Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko said. "We'll try to be better going forward, but we don't have a lot of time to go over it. We've got two more games over the next four days. We're playing teams that are good and desperate for wins."

Atlanta's leading scorer Allisha Gray (18.8 ppg) had a season-low seven points against Las Vegas. The 31-year-old veteran has scored 13 points or more in 27 of 29 games this year. Rhyne Howard adds 17 ppg for the Dream, who beat Phoenix 82-80 on May 24.

Smesko's description of the Mercury as "desperate" would be an accurate one. Phoenix (12-19) has won four of its last five and is playing its best basketball of the season as it tries to keep its slim postseason chances alive.

The Mercury are 5 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot with 13 games remaining. Third-year head coach Nate Tibbetts' team will continue to try and pull itself out of a hole caused by a woeful start to the season.

Adding to the group's late-season surge was the trade for five-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum from the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday. Plum (23.6 ppg), who was traded for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, scored 20 points in her team debut in a 106-101 win over the Chicago Sky on Monday.

"It's just a natural fit," Tibbetts said of Plum, who returned from a six-week injury absence on Monday. "She's super smart. She loves the game and I think it's going to open up a lot. We'll change and evolve a little bit as the season goes here, but it was a great first game by her."

Kahleah Copper's 21.2 ppg lead the Mercury, while Alyssa Thomas chips in 15 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists per contest.

--Field Level Media