Final
  for this game

Dream-Fever Preview

Aug 6, 2015 - 10:37 PM The Indiana Fever have had their share of success at Bankers Life Fieldhouse of late, though the Atlanta Dream have often felt right at home at the venue as well.

Indiana takes aim at a seventh straight home win Friday night when it meets an Atlanta team that hasn't lost in Indianapolis in nearly two years.

The visitor has had the upper hand recently in this series, having won each of the last six meetings. Including a victory in the 2013 Eastern Conference finals, the Dream have prevailed in four straight trips to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Winning away from home hasn't been so easy for Atlanta (7-13) this season, however. The Dream have lost four straight on the road to fall to 2-8, and they enter having dropped five in a row overall.

Indiana (11-9), which leads Connecticut by a half-game for the East's final playoff spot, hasn't lost as the host since June 26 and can record its longest home winning streak since a seven-game run in 2010.

The Fever had won three straight and eight of 10 prior to a 106-82 drubbing at rival Chicago on Tuesday. Indiana allowed the Sky to shoot 63.2 percent and permitted 57 first-half points en route to allowing its highest-scoring total of the season.

"It was sort of a combination of them being really good and us not executing the way we needed to execute, and they make you pay for that," coach Stephanie White told the Fever's official website.

Indiana ranks second-to-last in field-goal percentage defense at 45.0, though the Dream's 40.2 percent shooting is the WNBA's second-worst mark. Atlanta shot 36.6 percent in Sunday's 71-68 loss to Phoenix, a game in which it trailed by 18 late in the first half before battling back.

"I thought we did a great job defensively against a team that can put some points on the board," coach Michael Cooper said. "But until we solve our problems for our scoring and stop having those droughts, (that's) when we'll be able to get back on the winning side."

Atlanta did struggle on the defensive end in a 90-79 setback to the Fever on June 16. Indiana shot 50.0 percent and had five double-figure scorers, led by Marissa Coleman's 18 and Maggie Lucas' 17 on a 4-of-7 effort from 3-point range.

Lucas' 43.1 percent shooting on 3s ranks third in the WNBA, with teammate Shenise Johnson second at 44.2.

Fever rookie center Natalie Achonwa, who contributed 12 points to the previous win over Atlanta, will miss the next three games while competing for Canada in the FIBA Americas Championships.








  • ATLANTA: 77
    INDIANA: 106
    Final

    Jul 1 3:41 PM


  • ATLANTA: 77
    INDIANA: 106
    Final

    Aug 7 9:18 PM


  • End of 4th Quarter.

    Aug 7 9:18 PM


  • End of 3rd Quarter.

    Aug 7 8:45 PM


  • ATLANTA: 62
    INDIANA: 77
    End of 3rd

    Aug 7 8:44 PM


  • End of 1st Half.

    Aug 7 8:01 PM


  • ATLANTA: 40
    INDIANA: 47
    Halftime

    Aug 7 8:01 PM
  • 88
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 34, Fever 36  2nd - 7:50Aug 7 7:38 PM
  • 80
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 33, Fever 32  2nd - 9:00Aug 7 7:37 PM
  • 72
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 32, Fever 30  2nd - 9:34Aug 7 7:35 PM


  • End of 1st Quarter.

    Aug 7 7:32 PM


  • ATLANTA: 30
    INDIANA: 30
    End of 1st

    Aug 7 7:31 PM
  • 64
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 25, Fever 26  1st - 2:16Aug 7 7:27 PM
  • 56
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 14, Fever 15  1st - 5:52Aug 7 7:17 PM
  • 48
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 11, Fever 12  1st - 6:27Aug 7 7:16 PM
  • 40
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 9, Fever 10  1st - 7:29Aug 7 7:15 PM
  • 32
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 9, Fever 8  1st - 7:30Aug 7 7:14 PM
  • 24
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 7, Fever 7  1st - 7:56Aug 7 7:13 PM
  • 16
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 5, Fever 5  1st - 9:00Aug 7 7:11 PM
  • 8
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 8 roots

    Dream 3, Fever 3  1st - 9:23Aug 7 7:10 PM


  • Aneika Henry vs. Erlana Larkins (Briann January gains possession)

    Aug 7 7:10 PM


  • ATLANTA: 0
    INDIANA: 0
    1st Quarter - 10:00

    Aug 7 7:09 PM