INJURY REPORT: Holmes out,Hayes day-to-day for Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 9: Tiffany Hayes
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 9: Tiffany Hayes /
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The Atlanta Dream will face the Connecticut Sun without the contributions of forward Bria Holmes. The organization announced the second year forward from West Virginia is suffering from bursitis in her right ankle. She is averaging 8.4 points and 3 rebounds per game in an average of 23.4 minutes per game. In Atlanta’s loss to San Antonio, Holmes was limited to two points and two assists in only 13 minutes of play.  She will rest tonight in the hopes that her Achilles will adequately heal.

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Guard Tiffany Hayes is listed as day-to-day, is dressed and expected to play. On the Atlanta broadcast, head coach Michael Cooper noted Hayes will not start after bruising her ribs in a game. The All-Star guard is averaging 15.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Dream.  Tamera Young will play small forward for Atlanta while Rookie of the Year candidate Brittany Sykes moves to guard.

Connecticut deployed Morgan Tuck, Rachel Banham, and Jasmine Thomas from the injured list against the Dallas Wings last Friday night. All-Star Thomas was restricted to one-minutes stretches in the 96-88 win but started tonight’s game in Atlanta. The Dream are currently on a 0-7 skid, while Connecticut is on a five-game winning streak, and clinched a playoff berth over the weekend – in part due to the Dream’s loss to San Antonio.

The Connecticut Sun currently occupy the third overall spot in the WNBA standings, while the Atlanta Dream sit in 10th place.  The Dream are two full spots out of playoff contention. A win tonight will keep any playoff hopes alive. As for Connecticut, head coach Curt Miller may look to gauge team chemistry and systems with so many key players returning to the lineup.