WNBA Playoffs Preview: Chicago Sky vs Atlanta Dream

(photo credit: atlantasportspage.com)

Round 2 of the WNBA Playoffs will take place this weekend, beginning with the New York Liberty hosting the Phoenix Mercury at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, and followed by the Chicago Sky hosting the Atlanta Dream at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Chicago (18-16) earned a bye into the second round as the fourth-ranked team heading into the playoffs. New York (21-13) did likewise as the third seed, while the Minnesota Lynx (28-6) and Los Angeles Sparks (26-8) earned byes into the semifinal round as the top two seeds in the WNBA's new and unique playoff format.

To earn the right to face the Sky in the second round, Atlanta had to first get through the first round. Hosting the Seattle Storm, the Dream managed a 94-85 victory behind 37 points (on 14-for-21 shooting) and 7 assists from Angel McCoughtry and 21 points and seven rebounds from Bria Holmes. Other key contributions included Elizabeth Williams' 16 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Layshia Clarendon filled stat categories with 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists and a team-leading +14 while she was on the floor.

Jewell Lloyd and Breanna Stewart had 24 and 19 points, respectively, for the Storm, but it wasn't enough to overcome the field goal percentage discrepancy that saw Atlanta shoot 53% from the field while Atlanta was at just 39%. At one point late in the first half, Seattle held a 43-33 lead. From that point to midway through the fourth quarter, Atlanta went on a 52-28 run to take a 85-71 lead before reaching the final score.

Heading into Round 2, the teams have faced each other three times this season. In all three games, the home team came out victorious. Atlanta mustered margins of six and four points in their victories, while the most recent matchup tilted in Chicago's favor, 90-82. The Sky are normally led by defending-League MVP Elena Delle Donne, but they will be without her services as she underwent surgery on her thumb and is out indefinitely. Cappie Pondexter is shouldering much of that load moving forward, and her recent performance has proved her more than capable. She has scored in double digits in 12 straight games, reaching at least 15 points in six of those games and helping the Sky to a 9-3 record during that stretch.

With Delle Donne out for Chicago, and McCoughtry playing at such a high level, it's hard to envision Atlanta losing this game, even in Chicago. The game will be available on ESPN2. If the Liberty win their matchup, the winner of Chicago/Atlanta will face Minnesota in the Semifinals. If Phoenix pulls off the upset, they will face Minnesota and the Chicago/Atlanta winner will take on Los Angeles. The Semifinals begin on Wednesday, Sept. 28.