Final
Dream-Fever Preview
Jul 16, 2009 - 7:50 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS WriterAtlanta (7-8) at Indiana (10-2), 7:00 p.m. EDT
The Indiana Fever had to be disappointed after a double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream in their season opener. Thanks to a balanced offense, that's not an emotion the Fever have had to deal with lately.
The Fever look to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games as they host the Dream on Friday night.
Indiana (10-2) fell 87-86 in two overtimes at Atlanta on June 6, the first of two consecutive losses to open the season.
The Fever, though, have rebounded by winning a franchise-record 10 straight, the longest streak in the WNBA since Connecticut won 12 in a row July 16-Aug. 9, 2006 - a run that ended with a loss to Indiana.
Five players have led Indiana in scoring during its streak, including ninth-year center Tammy Sutton-Brown, who was one of four players in double figures with a team-high 22 points in an 84-74 win over Chicago on Wednesday.
"Right now, we are playing really well together," said Sutton-Brown, who went 10 for 11 from the field. "It's not just one or two people doing this. We have several in double figures every game. That indicates how good we are at each position."
Ebony Hoffman scored 18 on Wednesday, and Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas added 16 and 13, respectively. Catchings, a five-time All-Star who's also the leading vote-getter for this year's game, has led the team in scoring just once in 2009, a testament to Indiana's array of offensive options.
"Wins are a lot easier when everybody scores," Hoffman said. "It makes it hard for the defense to guard us. It is like pick your poison."
Sutton-Brown and Catchings provided most of the offense as the Fever beat the Dream 78-74 on July 5 in the teams' first meeting since the season opener. Sutton-Brown scored 22, and Catchings added 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and six steals.
Atlanta (7-8) beat Minnesota 91-77 on the road Wednesday, riding a season high-tying 28 points from Chamique Holdsclaw. Holdsclaw, back in the league after nearly two years of retirement, had 23 points in the win over the Fever in June. She was held to two points in limited playing time in the July 5 loss at Indiana, perhaps because of a nagging knee injury.
The Fever may need to contain Holdsclaw again to become the first Eastern Conference team to reach 11 wins. Though their streak will be on the line, Hoffman insists the club is focused only on the Dream.
"The win streak is more exciting for the fans," she said. "To us this is a business. We are not thinking about number 10, just the next game. It's doing the little things correctly that will bring you a win in end. We are now focused on Atlanta, not the playoffs down the road."
- WNBA
ATLANTA 79
INDIANA 84 FINAL
Jul 17 9:06 PM - WNBA
ATLANTA 17
INDIANA 22 END, 1ST QTR
Jul 17 7:32 PM
Related News
- Fever name Marianne Stanley as new head coach; Catchings adds GM duties Nov 26
- WNBA Capsules May 22
- WNBA Capsules May 21
- WNBA Capsules May 18
- Bye bye Birdie? Storm's Sue Bird not ready to walk away yet May 18
- WNBA Capsules May 14
- WNBA set to tip off 20th season this weekend May 13
- Atlanta cuts 41-year-old Milton-Jones, WNBA's oldest player May 12
- Fever's Catchings cherishing every moment of farewell tour May 11
- WNBA in Big D: Wings land in Dallas, league's 1st team there May 10
- Indiana trades Layshia Clarendon to Atlanta for draft pick May 10