Preview: Dreaming of a No. 5 seed in Atlanta

There’s plenty of action in the WNBA on Tuesday. We start off in Texas with the Dallas Wings hosting the Atlanta Dream at 8 p.m. ET, then head out west where the Los Angeles Sparks host the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm host the Connecticut Sun — both at 10 p.m. ET.

The Dream are very much playoff contenders. At 5-5, they are right in the mix, and with a win on Tuesday, they firmly solidify themselves as a Top 5 team in the league.

Dallas, on the other hand, has been struggling. They do have some excellent players like Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard, but the lack of depth has led to more losses than wins in 2023.

To pull off the win, the Wings will need their supporting cast to step up, especially their bigs, as keeping Cheyenne Parker off the boards will be critical if they want to eliminate second-chance opportunities and points in the paint.

Los Angeles has lost two games in a row, but it’s been more of a result of injuries than poor performance. Unfortunately for Curt Miller and the Sparks, the injury situation is still an issue Tuesday as they’ll still be without Lexie Brown, who will miss her third game in a row due to a non-COVID illness. The Sparks are now relying on two hardship contract players, Rae Burrell and Destanni Henderson, to fill out their roster and give them enough depth to field a team.

The Sparks might be stretched thin but they still have the talent to succeed. Nneka Ogwumike is putting up All-Star starter numbers, averaging 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds a night, and Jordin Canada is having a career year with 13.7 points and 5.6 assists a night.

The Lynx may only have three wins on the season, but two are against Los Angeles, so they have to like their chances. To get the victory, they’ll need Naphessa Collier to dominate against the Sparks bigs. Also, an offensive burst from Tiffany Mitchell could add extra pressure on a short-handed Sparks backcourt.

The Connecticut Sun look as good as ever and are 9-3 on the season, good for the second-best record in the WNBA. Seattle is clearly in a rebuilding season, sitting at 3-7 and adjusting to life without Breanna Stewart. That life won’t get easier on Tuesday against the Sun. The only advantage Seattle will have is that the game is in their building. With Connecticut stacked from top to bottom, pulling off the upset will likely require a lot of heavy lifting from their star guard Jewell Loyd.

Game information

Dallas Wings (5-6) vs. Atlanta Dream (5-5)

When: Tuesday, June 20 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: College Park Center in Arlington, TX

How to watch: WNBA League Pass

Wings injury report: Diamond DeShields (out; knee), Lou Lopez Sénéchal (out; knee)

Dream injury report: Aari McDonald (out; shoulder), Iliana Rupert (out indefinitely; contract suspension)

Los Angeles Sparks (5-6) vs. Minnesota Lynx (3-8)

When: Tuesday, June 20 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

How to watch: WNBA League Pass

Sparks injury report: Lexie Brown (out; illness), Nia Clouden (out; knee), Layshia Clarendon (out; foot), Katie Lou Samuelson (out; personal)

Lynx injury report: Aerial Powers (out; ankle), Jessica Shepard (out; illness), Diamond Miller (out; ankle), Natalie Achonwa (out; personal)

Seattle Storm (3-7) vs. Connecticut Sun (9-3)

When: Tuesday, June 20 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA

How to watch: WNBA League Pass

Storm injury report: none

Sun injury report: none