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Jul 4, 2015 - 6:57 PM Coach Michael Cooper's move to shorten his bench paid off for the inconsistent Atlanta Dream in their last contest.

With two players rejoining to the roster, it remains to be seen how Cooper plans to handle his rotation going forward.

Atlanta returns from an eight-day layoff to host the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

Cooper admitted to being a bit generous with playing time as the Dream (4-6) got off to a rough start to the season, but he used only seven players in a 72-69 win over Washington on July 26.

Angel McCoughtry scored 18 points and Matee Ajavon added 17. McCoughtry, whose 20.5 points per game ranks second in the league, is among the leading vote-getters for the WNBA All-Star game along with teammate Shoni Schimmel.

However, Schimmel didn't get off the bench against the Mystics after playing one minute in a 100-96 overtime loss to Chicago on June 24. She's averaging 4.9 points in 16.3 minutes after scoring 8.3 in nearly five minutes more per game as a rookie last season.

"What I think is now we've got to get our rotation and our chemistry down," Cooper told the team's official website. "I think what we have been doing is starting out good, then I'll come with four people and our energy goes down. So I'm just looking for some consistency and I think that is important for us to be consistent in our play on both offense and defense."

Tiffany Hayes and Aneika Henry had been playing for Azerbaijan at the European Games, but they plan to be in uniform for this contest after the club was eliminated in the quarterfinals. That could shake up Cooper's rotation as the Dream face another squad going through ups and downs.

The Storm (3-8) knocked off Tulsa 74-69 at home Tuesday in their fourth straight game decided by five or fewer points, but they were hardly competitive in an 82-57 loss to Minnesota to start a three-game road trip.

Sue Bird and Crystal Langhorne scored 10 points apiece.

"All of these games are kind of stepping stones for us," Bird told the team's official website. "Just getting experience, seeing what it takes to be successful in this league and what it means to be ready and focused every single night. The minute you take one possession off, the game could be over."

Langhorne scored 17 points and the Storm limited McCoughtry to two points and 0 for 5 from the field in an 88-68 victory in the most recent meeting Aug. 7.

Schimmel scored 14 points off the bench in that contest.