Nia

Coffey

Paopao steadied the Dream’s offense in the first half. She hit a trio of threes and dished out half of her eight total assists. She led the Dream in assists for the fifth time this season, but in the first half she found Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard for a couple of kick out three-pointers and two driving layups from Gray within the paint. In the second half, she dished out assists to Brionna Jones, Nia Coffey and Howard once again. Paopao, as one of the smaller players on the Dream standing at 5'9,” also led the Dream rebounding the basketball. Friday night’s game was her second time leading the Dream in rebounding. By the fourth quarter, Paopao was on triple-double watch, which came as a result of her balanced performance in three major statistical categories.

The Dream will be without three starters for Thursday’s game, with Caldwell joining Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner as the absentees. Caldwell was replacing Howard in the starting lineup, and her absence likely means a promotion for Te-Hina Paopao or Nia Coffey. Coffey most recently scored 15 points in 17 minutes in Sunday’s win over the Mystics.

Griner’s injury will leave the Dream a bit thinner in the frontcourt on Friday. With the absence of the 10.6-point, 5.6-rebound per game center, Atlanta will lean even more heavily on Brionna Jones on the interior, although players such as Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey could see increased opportunities and help provide the missing production. Atlanta went into Phoenix a little more than one week ago and defeated the Mercury; it’ll look to knock off the Mercury again on Friday.

Howard injured her left arm during the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Liberty and did not return to the game. The Dream guard no longer has her arm in a sling, and head coach Karl Smesko described Howard as “day-to-day.” Te-Hina Paopao, Nia Coffey and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are three players whose minutes may increase with Howard sidelined.

Howard played just 24 minutes on Sunday before exiting Sunday’s contest in the middle of the third quarter with an arm injury. She left the floor and headed to the locker room before eventually being ruled out and making her way back to the bench in a sling. Atlanta won’t play again until it hosts Seattle on Thursday, giving the dynamic guard a few days to recover. Should she be unavailable vs. the Storm, Te-Hina Paopao, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Nia Coffey could see more opportunities than usual.

Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer, started the night rough only scoring 5 points and hitting one field goal on six shots. As a result the Dream’s role players in Naz Hillmon, Nia Coffey and Te-Hina PaoPao all stepped up. But after halftime Gray returned to form, shooting 5-for-9 in the second half while scoring 13 points. Gray stepped up on the defensive end as well, blocking Brittney Sykes from behind with 44.6 remaining in regulation. While Gray’s aggression fueled Atlanta down the stretch, her judgement lacked when she fouled Sykes from beyond the arc while in a shooting motion, which and gave the Mystics the opportunity to tie the game up at 92. Sykes ended up missing the second free throw and the Dream squeaked by with a win.

Reese took advantage of her matchup against Brionna Jones, a natural center that had to guard a more athletic power forward. She also successfully out-muscled Rhyne Howard under the basket when Howard got matched up with Reese in transition while Reese was running the floor. But once Dream coach Karl Smesko put more athletic stretch fours on Reese in Nia Coffey and Naz Hillmon, Reese had less of an advantage and struggled with both of their length and athleticism. Reese’s most productive quarter came in the second when she accounted for 52.4 percent of the team’s points scored.

Having missed Atlanta’s last two games with a knee injury, Griner is officially available to play Friday night. Her return means Nia Coffey will head to the bench, with her fantasy value taking a hit. Also starting are Maya Caldwell, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones.

After missing Atlanta’s last two games with a knee injury, Griner is on track to return Friday night. Nia Coffey replaced her in the starting lineup, with Brionna Jones serving as the lone post player. If Griner can play on Friday, Coffey will return to the bench.

A late scratch for Sunday’s win over the Sun, Griner will miss a second consecutive game with a knee injury. Sunday’s absence was considered a matter of “load management” since the Dream played their fourth game in seven days. The veteran center missing a second game is somewhat concerning. Nia Coffey moved into the starting lineup on Sunday and played well, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three three-pointers. Look for her to retain that role on Tuesday.