Mercury's rough finish figures to become bleaker against Dream

Two teams going in opposite directions with the regular season winding down play each other Saturday when the Phoenix Mercury host the Atlanta Dream.

Phoenix (13-23) has lost four of its last five and will be without recently-acquired star Kelsey Plum, who is out indefinitely with a calf injury.

Atlanta (23-13) has won four of its last five, including a 124-88 victory at the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.

The Dream are jockeying to be in the top four playoff spots to earn a homecourt advantage in the first round.

They have played four of their last six games on the road. They are 3-1 in those games.

"Being on the road and knowing how much these road wins are going to matter coming down the stretch, especially with seeding going into the playoffs, is important," said Angel Reese, who is averaging a league-leading 11.9 rebounds a game.

The Mercury are 5-11 at home, including an 88-85 loss in Phoenix against the Portland Fire last Sunday.

Their playoff aspirations are bleak, sitting 7 1/2 games behind the Dallas Wings for the eighth and last playoff spot with only eight games remaining. A loss to the Dream could eliminate the Mercury from the postseason.

"At this point in the season, there's things that are out of your control, but what's in your control is your pride," said Plum, who was acquired from the Sparks in a trade on Aug. 2.

She has missed Phoenix's last two games with her calf injury.

Kahleah Copper has been a bright spot in a gloomy season for the Mercury, averaging a team-leading 20.5 points per game.

Atlanta's Rhyne Howard is coming off scoring 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, in the win over Los Angeles.

Reese posted 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals against the Sparks.

Atlanta won its two previous matchups with Phoenix at home, 82-80 on May 24 and 96-82 on Aug. 5.

--Field Level Media