2018 Atlanta Dream season

2018 Atlanta Dream season
CoachNicki Collen
ArenaMcCamish Pavilion
Attendance4,194 per game
Results
Record23–11 (.676)
Place1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish2nd seed; Lost in Semifinals to Washington (2–3)
Team Leaders
PointsTiffany Hayes – 17.2
ReboundsJessica Breland – 7.9
AssistsRenee Montgomery – 3.7
Media
TelevisionFox Sports South (FS-S), Fox Sports Southeast (FSSE)

The 2018 WNBA season was the 11th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began its season on May 20, 2018, against the Dallas Wings.[1]

The Dream started the season slowly, going 2–2 in May with both losses coming to Dallas. The team continued to not be able to build momentum in June, posting a 5–6 record. The team started well in the month, going on a three game win streak, but couldn't continue that run, winning just 2 of the final 7 games in the month. However, the Dream found another gear in July. The Dream went on an 8 game winning streak and head coach Nicki Collen was awarded the Coach of the Month. The team finished the month 9–2 and in prime playoff position. The team continued its run in August, going 6–1 with their only loss on the road against Phoenix. Collen was again voted coach of the month. However, on August 9, the team lost their star Angel McCoughtry for the season with torn ligaments in her left knee. The team finished a franchise–best 23–11 which entered them into the 2018 WNBA Playoffs as the second seed.

As the second seed, Atlanta earned a double bye into the semifinal round. There, Atlanta faced off against the Washington Mystics. The Mystics were the third seed, finishing one game behind Atlanta in the regular season. The series was a close one, with the Mystics star Elena Delle Donne getting injured in game 3. However, the Dream were not able to capitalize and eventually lost the series 2 games to 3.

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2018 WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
2 15 Monique Billings  United States UCLA
2 16 Kristy Wallace  Australia Baylor
3 27 Mackenzie Engram  United States Georgia

Trades and Roster Changes

Date Transaction
January 1, 2018 Cored Angel McCoughtry
Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Bria Holmes and Imani McGee-Stafford
Extended a Qualifying Offer to Damiris Dantas
January 16, 2018 Bria Holmes to miss season due to Pregnancy[2]
February 1, 2018 Signed Renee Montgomery[3]
Signed Maggie Lucas to a training-camp contract
February 2, 2018 Signed Jessica Breland[4]
February 8, 2018 Signed Angel McCoughtry[5]
February 13, 2018 Signed Adaora Elonu to a training-camp contract
February 14, 2018 Signed Damiris Dantas[6]
March 9, 2018 Signed Blake Dietrick to a training-camp contract
April 3, 2018 Signed Elizabeth Williams to a Multi-Year Extension[7]
April 5, 2018 Signed Yelena Leuchanka to a training-camp contract[8]
April 12, 2018 Traded Bria Holmes to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for a Second Round Pick in 2018 and 2019[9]
April 13, 2018 Signed Alexa Hart and Rosemarie Julien to training-camp contracts
Waived Yelena Leuchanka[10]
April 18, 2018 Signed Mackenzie Engram to a rookie-scale contract
April 19, 2018 Signed Monique Billings to a rookie-scale contract
May 4, 2018 Waived Alexa Hart[11]
May 13, 2018 Waived Rosemarie Julien[12]
May 16, 2018 Waived Mackenzie Engram
May 17, 2018 Waived Adaora Elonu[13]
June 30, 2018 Waived Maggie Lucas[14]
July 4, 2018 Signed Alexis Prince to a 7-day contract[15]
July 9, 2018 Traded Layshia Clarendon and 2nd Round Pick in the 2019 WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Alex Bentley[16]
July 11, 2018 Signed Alexis Prince to a 2nd 7-day contract
July 18, 2018 Signed Alexis Prince to a 3rd 7-day contract
July 25, 2018 Signed Alexis Prince
August 7, 2018 Signed Tiffany Hayes to a Multi-Year Extension[17]
August 10, 2018 Signed Adaora Elonu to a 7-day contract[18]
August 17, 2018 Signed Adaora Elonu

Roster

2018 Atlanta Dream roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
G 20 United States Bentley, Alex 5' 7" (1.7m) 152 lb (69kg) 10-27-1990 Penn State 5
F 25 United States Billings, Monique 6' 4" (1.93m) 176 lb (80kg) 05-02-1996 UCLA R
F 51 United States Breland, Jessica 6' 3" (1.91m) 164 lb (74kg) 02-23-1988 North Carolina 6
C 12 Brazil Dantas, Damiris 6' 3" (1.91m) 208 lb (94kg) 11-17-1992 Brazil 4
G 11 United States Dietrick, Blake 5' 10" (1.78m) 157 lb (71kg) 07-19-1993 Princeton 1
F 2 Nigeria Elonu, Adaora 6' 1" (1.85m) 165 lb (75kg) 04-28-1990 Texas A&M R
G 15 United States Hayes, Tiffany 5' 10" (1.78m) 155 lb (70kg) 09-20-1989 Connecticut 6
G/F 35 United States McCoughtry, Angel Injured 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) 07-10-1986 Louisville 8
C 34 United States McGee-Stafford, Imani 6' 7" (2.01m) 200 lb (91kg) 10-11-1994 Texas 2
G 21 United States Montgomery, Renee 5' 7" (1.7m) 141 lb (64kg) 12-02-1986 Connecticut 9
G 3 United States Prince, Alexis 6' 2" (1.88m) 178 lb (81kg) 02-05-1994 Baylor 1
G 7 United States Sykes, Brittney 5' 9" (1.75m) 155 lb (70kg) 02-07-1994 Syracuse 1
F/C 1 United States Williams, Elizabeth 6' 3" (1.91m) 199 lb (90kg) 06-23-1993 Duke 3
Head coach
United States Nicki Collen (Marquette)
Assistant coaches
United States Mike Peterson (Bushnell)
United States Darius Taylor (Michigan)
Athletic trainer
United States Jessica Cohen (Vanderbilt)
Strength and conditioning coach
United States Ashley Alexander (New Orleans)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Depth

Pos. Starter Bench
C Elizabeth Williams Imani McGee-Stafford
PF Jessica Breland Damiris Dantas
Monique Billings
Adaora Elonu
SF Angel McCoughtry Brittney Sykes
Alexis Prince
SG Tiffany Hayes Alex Bentley
PG Renee Montgomery Blake Dietrick

Schedule

Preseason

2018 Schedule: Preseason
Total: 1–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 May 6 @ Chicago W 78–61 Hayes (16) Williams (7) Montgomery (7) Wintrust Arena
 1–0
2 May 11 vs. Connecticut L 58–74 Clarendon (13) Williams (6) Montgomery (3) Webster Bank Arena
1,610 		1–1
2018 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2018 Regular Season
Total: 23–11 (Home: 13–4; Road: 10–7)
May: 2–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 May 20 @ Dallas L 78–101 3 Tied (14) Sykes (7) Hayes (6) College Park Center
5,907 		0–1
2 May 23 @ Chicago W 81–63 Hayes (22) Breland (10) Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
6,147 		1–1
3 May 26 Dallas L 80–87 McCoughtry (19) Breland (10) Hayes (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,749 		1–2
4 May 29 Minnesota W 76–74 Hayes (20) Tied (7) Tied (5) McCamish Pavilion
3,785 		2–2
June: 5–6 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–5)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
5 June 3 Phoenix L 71–78 McCoughtry (21) Tied (10) Clarendon (3) McCamish Pavilion
3,795 		2–3
6 June 5 Connecticut W 82–77 Hayes (22) Breland (9) Tied (4) McCamish Pavilion
2,830 		3–3
7 June 8 @ Las Vegas W 87–83 Hayes (24) Tied (9) McCoughtry (6) Mandalay Bay Events Center
5,913 		4–3
8 June 10 @ Seattle W 67–64 Hayes (23) Breland (14) 4 Tied (2) KeyArena
6,345 		5–3
9 June 12 @ Los Angeles L 64–72 Hayes (16) Breland (6) Hayes (3) Staples Center
9,215 		5–4
10 June 14 Indiana W 72–67 Hayes (23) Breland (13) McCoughtry (4) McCamish Pavilion
6,561 		6–4
11 June 16 @ Indiana L 64–96 McCoughtry (19) McCoughtry (8) Clarendon (4) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,234 		6–5
12 June 19 @ New York L 72–79 McCoughtry (39) McCoughtry (14) McCoughtry (4) Westchester County Center
1,627 		6–6
13 June 22 Connecticut W 75–70 McCoughtry (25) Williams (10) Sykes (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,047 		7–6
14 June 27 @ Chicago L 80–93 Montgomery (19) Breland (7) Montgomery (5) Wintrust Arena
8,521 		7–7
15 June 29 @ Minnesota L 74–85 McGee-Stafford (15) Breland (10) Montgomery (6) Target Center
9,209 		7–8
July: 9–2 (Home: 5–2; Road: 4–0)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
16 July 1 @ Indiana W 87–83 Sykes (20) Tied (6) Sykes (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5,277 		8–8
17 July 6 Seattle L 86–95 McCoughtry (26) Sykes (6) Dantas (5) McCamish Pavilion
3,935 		8–9
18 July 8 Phoenix W 76–70 Hayes (18) Breland (12) McCoughtry (4) McCamish Pavilion
3,952 		9–9
19 July 11 @ Washington W 106–89 McCoughtry (26) Breland (10) Breland (7) Capital One Arena
11,354 		10–9
20 July 13 Indiana W 98–74 Hayes (16) Breland (8) McCoughtry (7) McCamish Pavilion
3,807 		11–9
21 July 15 Washington W 80–77 Sykes (17) Breland (10) Bentley (4) McCamish Pavilion
3,880 		12–9
22 July 17 @ Connecticut W 86–83 McCoughtry (24) Breland (11) Tied (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,555 		13–9
23 July 19 New York W 82–68 Montgomery (24) Tied (12) McCoughtry (6) McCamish Pavilion
3,074 		14–9
24 July 22 Seattle W 87–74 Williams (17) Tied (8) Hayes (5) McCamish Pavilion
4,916 		15–9
25 July 24 @ Los Angeles W 81–87 McCoughtry (19) McCoughtry (7) Montgomery (6) Staples Center
9,324 		16–9
26 July 31 Washington L 71–86 Hayes (18) Williams (9) Sykes (5) McCamish Pavilion
3,648 		16–10
August: 6–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 3–1)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
27 August 3 Chicago W 89–74 McCoughtry (21) Breland (9) Bentley (7) McCamish Pavilion
5,120 		17–10
28 August 5 @ Minnesota W 86–66 Hayes (28) Tied (8) Sykes (6) Target Center
9,333 		18–10
29 August 7 Las Vegas W 109–100 Tied (22) Breland (11) Bentley (8) McCamish Pavilion
4,033 		19–10
30 August 9 Los Angeles W 79–73 Breland (19) Breland (9) Bentley (8) McCamish Pavilion
4,235 		20–10
31 August 11 Dallas W 92–82 Montgomery (24) Williams (9) 3 Tied (5) McCamish Pavilion
4,937 		21–10
32 August 12 @ New York W 86–77 Montgomery (30) Tied (7) Sykes (4) Westchester County Center
2,362 		22–10
33 August 17 @ Phoenix L 95–104 Bentley (24) Williams (8) Bentley (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena
11,177 		22–11
34 August 19 @ Las Vegas W 93–78 Williams (20) Williams (7) Montgomery (9) Mandalay Bay Events Center
5,737 		23–11
2018 season schedule

Playoffs

2016 Playoffs: Total: 2–3 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–1)
WNBA Semifinals vs. Washington (Lost Series 2-3)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 August 26 Washington L 84–87 Bentley (19) Williams (14) 5 Tied (2) McCamish Pavilion
5,086 		0–1
2 August 28 Washington W 78–75 Bentley (22) Breland (14) Hayes (6) McCamish Pavilion
3,813 		1–1
3 August 31 Washington W 81–76 Hayes (23) Breland (11) Montgomery (3) Charles Smith Center
3,867 		2–1
4 September 2 Washington 76–97 Tied (12) Breland (8) Montgomery (10) Charles Smith Center
3,722 		2–2
5 September 4 Washington 81–86 Bentley (16) Breland (12) Hayes (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,435 		2–3
2018 playoff schedule

Standings

# Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Atlanta Dream (2) 23 11 .676 – 13–4 10–7 12–4
2 Washington Mystics (3) 22 12 .647 1 12–5 10–7 12–4
3 Connecticut Sun (4) 21 13 .618 2 13–4 8–9 9–7
4 e – Chicago Sky 13 21 .382 10 7–10 6–11 6–10
5 e – New York Liberty 7 27 .206 16 4–13 3–14 6–10
6 e – Indiana Fever 6 28 .176 17 2–15 4–13 3–13

Notes

(#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name
x – Clinched Playoff Berth
e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs

Main article: 2018 WNBA Playoffs
First round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 21)		Second round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 23)		Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)		WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)
1Seattle Storm9191668494
4Connecticut Sun865Phoenix Mercury8787868684
5Phoenix Mercury1015Phoenix Mercury961Seattle Storm897598
8Dallas Wings833Washington Mystics767382
2Atlanta Dream8478817681
3Washington Mystics963Washington Mystics8775769786
6Los Angeles Sparks756Los Angeles Sparks64
7Minnesota Lynx68

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tiffany Hayes 31 29 28.9 .441 .321 .817 3.6 2.7 1.2 0.2 17.2
Angel McCoughtry 29 28 27.6 .420 .276 .836 6.0 3.0 1.3 0.6 16.5
Renee Montgomery 34 34 27.5 .389 .371 .881 1.7 3.7 1.3 0.1 10.3
Brittney Sykes 29 7 20.7 .411 .268 .663 3.5 2.3 0.3 0.6 9.7
Elizabeth Williams 33 32 26.8 .548 .000 .563 5.8 1.4 0.8 1.8 9.1
Alex Bentley 16 0 20.8 .376 .310 .529 1.5 3.4 0.9 0.1 8.7
Jessica Breland 34 34 26.4 .428 .000 .750 7.9 2.0 1.1 1.9 8.3
Damiris Dantas 19 0 13.4 .433 .238 .722 2.4 0.8 0.4 0.0 5.4
Alexis Prince 2 0 3.0 .600 1.000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.5
Monique Billings 32 0 11.0 .441 .000 .750 2.8 0.4 0.4 0.0 3.3
Imani McGee-Stafford 29 2 10.5 .453 .000 .467 3.4 0.6 0.4 0.4 2.9
Blake Dietrick 26 0 7.2 .343 .391 .667 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.0 1.4
Adaora Elonu 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tiffany Hayes 5 5 33.6 44.4 37.5 80.0 6.2 3.4 1.4 0.2 16.4
Alex Bentley 5 0 24.0 44.4 32.0 75.0 2.0 2.0 0.6 0.0 15.6
Brittney Sykes 5 5 27.0 47.3 41.2 50.0 3.6 1.6 0.8 0.2 12.6
Elizabeth Williams 5 5 31.4 51.1 0.0 54.5 8.8 1.0 0.6 1.2 10.8
Jessica Breland 5 5 31.0 37.0 0.0 83.3 10.8 2.8 0.8 2.8 9.0
Renee Montgomery 5 5 31.6 29.3 28.6 84.6 2.0 4.2 0.2 0.2 8.6
Monique Billings 5 0 12.8 47.4 0.0 57.9 2.6 0.8 0.0 0.6 5.8
Imani McGee-Stafford 4 0 5.8 33.3 0.0 50.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.3
Adaora Elonu 1 0 4.0 0.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Blake Dietrick 3 0 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Tiffany Hayes Eastern Conference Player of the Week June 11, 2018 [19]
July 23, 2018 [20]
August 6, 2018 [21]
Eastern Conference Player of the Month - July August 1, 2018 [22]
Angel McCoughtry Eastern Conference Player of the Week June 24, 2018 [23]
WNBA All-Star Selection July 17, 2018 [24]
Jessica Breland Eastern Conference Player of the Week July 15, 2018 [25]
Nicki Collen WNBA Coach of the Month - July August 2, 2018 [26]
WNBA Coach of the Month - August August 20, 2018 [27]
WNBA Coach of the Year August 28, 2018 [28]
Chris Sienko WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year August 28, 2018 [29]

References

  1. ^ "Atlanta Dream 2018 Season Schedule". WNBA.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bria Holmes to Miss 2018 Season Due to Pregnancy". dream.wnba.com. January 16, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  3. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign Two-Time WNBA Champion Renee Montgomery". dream.wnba.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign Forward Jessica Breland". dream.wnba.com. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "Angel McCoughtry Announces Return to Atlanta Dream, WNBA". dream.wnba.com. February 8, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Damiris Dantas Re-Signs with Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. February 14, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  7. ^ "Elizabeth Williams Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension with Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign Yelena Leuchanka to training-camp contract". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  9. ^ "Atlanta Dream Trade Bria Holmes to Connecticut Sun". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  10. ^ Dull, Ben. "Atlanta Dream waive Leuchanka, sign Hart and Julien". highposthoops.com. High Post Hoops. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Alexa Hart". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Rosemarie Julien". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Mackenzie Engram, Adaora Elonu". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Maggie Lucas". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign Guard Alexis Prince". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "Dream Trade Layshia Clarendon, Draft Pick to Sun For Alex Bentley". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  17. ^ "Tiffany Hayes Signs Multi-Year Extension With Dream". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign Adaora Elonu to Seven-Day Contract". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  19. ^ "Phoenix's Griner, Atlanta's Hayes Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  20. ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Dallas' Cambage Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  21. ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  22. ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Seattle's Stewart Named WNBA Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  23. ^ "Atlanta's McCoughtry, Minnesota's Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  24. ^ "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  25. ^ "Atlanta's Breland, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  26. ^ "Atlanta's Collen Named WNBA Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "Dream's Nicki Collen Named August Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  28. ^ "Atlanta's Nicki Collen Named 2018 WNBA Coach Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  29. ^ "Atlanta's Chris Sienko Named 2018 WNBA Basketball Executive Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.