No question as to who holds the edge here. The Sparks just tied the record for the best start in WNBA history at 20-1, and their offense has had a lot to do with it. The Sparks are second in points per game (85.7), but they’ve gone up to 87.3 PPG in their current nine-game winning streak. Nneka Ogwumike is having a career season with 19.1 points per game, and scored a career-high 38 points in the Sparks’ first meeting with Atlanta this season.
Meanwhile, the Dream are down in seventh in scoring, averaging just 81.3 points per game. They do have the terrific one-two punch of Angel McCoughtry and Tiffany Hayes, who are averaging 34.2 of those points. McCoughtry, though, is in a bit of a slump. She has scored just 13 points combined in her last two games, both Dream losses.
Defensive Edge – Los Angeles Sparks
Again, the best team in the league unsurprisingly holds the decided edge. The Sparks are holding opponents to just 74.3 points per game, the best defensive mark in the league. Although, that defense hasn’t been as airtight in previous games. They’ve surrendered 82 or more points in three of their last four games, including a season-high 92 in an overtime win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday.
But despite the Sparks’ recent defensive slump, the Dream are still worse. They’re eighth in the league in points allowed (83.9), and are just 3-8 in their last 11 games. They surrendered their season average of 84 points to the Sparks in their first meeting of the season, an 84-75 Dream defeat in Los Angeles.
Writer’s Prediction: The Sparks stomp all over the Dream, 88-77.
