Dream-Mercury Preview

The Atlanta Dream will conclude an already impressive road trip when they visit the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

Atlanta (16-14) is second in the WNBA's Eastern Conference, 4 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Liberty. Phoenix (13-17) is fourth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the third-place Seattle Storm.

Atlanta has won two in a row and three of five since WNBA play resumed after a monthlong break for the Olympics.

The Dream opened their current two-game road trip with an 86-81 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, Atlanta's second win over Los Angeles this season. The Dream beat the Sparks 91-74 in Atlanta on July 17.

Angel McCoughtry turned in a monster performance against Los Angeles, finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds. It was her third double-double of the season. Elizabeth Williams had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix won its first three games after the Olympic break, including a surprising victory over Los Angeles on Aug. 28. Since then, the Mercury has lost three in a row, falling to the Connecticut Sun, New York and Atlanta.

The Dream handed the Mercury a 91-87 loss when they met last weekend in Atlanta. McCoughtry posted 27 points and eight rebounds and Tiffany Hayes converted a three-point play with 24 seconds remaining to help the Dream prevail. Diana Taurasi scored 23 points for Phoenix. Brittney Griner had 21 points, five rebounds and six blocked shots.

McCoughtry is fourth in the WNBA in scoring at 19.2 points per game and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Hayes is Atlanta's second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game.

Phoenix is led by Taurasi, who is seventh in the WNBA in scoring at 18.3 points per game. DeWanna Bonner averages 15.2 points. Griner averages 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and a league-best 3.2 blocked shots per game.