Brittney

Griner

Griner is back after missing three games with a neck injury. However, her minutes will be restricted, and the veteran center will come off the bench for the first time in her WNBA career. Naz Hillmon, who has meshed well with Brionna Jones, will remain in the starting lineup for at least one more game.

Griner has missed the Dream’s last three games, while Howard hasn’t played since the July 11 loss to the Fever. Atlanta has won four straight, including the most recent three that Griner has missed. Naz Hillmon has filled in for Griner in the starting lineup and produced 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over that span. Hillmon will likely start again if Griner is unavailable on Sunday, while either Maya Caldwell or Te-Hina Paopao will be candidates to start in Howard’s place.

Thursday’s game will be the third Griner has missed with a neck injury. Naz Hillmon has performed well as her replacement in the starting lineup and will retain that role until Griner returns. Fantasy managers needing a forward to fill out their rosters would be wise to add Hillmon if she’s on the waiver wire.

Jones has gotten back on the right track after failing to score in double figures in four straight and six of seven games. The Dream forward has scored at least 14 points in three straight, with Sunday’s point total being a season-high. Atlanta has played its last two games without Brittney Griner due to injury, and her absence, combined with Naz Hillmon moving into the starting lineup, has benefited Jones. What Dream head coach Karl Smesko decides to do once Griner is cleared to return will be interesting to watch, as his team has scored 95 and 99 points in its last two games.

Hillmon nearly pulled in a double-double in her first start of the season, falling just one rebound shy of the feat. Even without the double-double, Hillmon was impactful. She finished as Atlanta’s second-leading scorer and even made some contributions as a facilitator to supplement her work as a scorer and rebounder. The fourth-year forward has now gone three straight games with at least 14 points scored, and appears to be carving out a bigger role in the rotation. If Brittey Griner (neck) remains out, Hillmon could be a nice player for fantasy managers to add to their rosters. She is rostered in only 22.4 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Griner’s injury will leave the Dream a bit thinner in the frontcourt on Friday. With the absence of the 10.6-point, 5.6-rebound per game center, Atlanta will lean even more heavily on Brionna Jones on the interior, although players such as Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey could see increased opportunities and help provide the missing production. Atlanta went into Phoenix a little more than one week ago and defeated the Mercury; it’ll look to knock off the Mercury again on Friday.

Hillmon was the Dream’s second leading scoring on a night when Allisha Gray struggled shooting the basketball. One of Hillmon’s many strengths is her ability to move without the basketball. Jordin Canada found her on four of her five made field goals which included three cutting layups right at the rim and a three-pointer. Hillmon, known for her high motor and knack to make effort plays, was also the Dream’s best rebounder on Tuesday night. She finished the evening playmaking as well where she found Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner on high-low actions along with getting Jordin Canada the ball on a dribble hand-off for a three-pointer.

With Allisha Gray only making two shots on Tuesday night, a different Dream guard had to step up. Canada was the most efficient player for Atlanta on the floor, shooting 55% from the field. While Canada’s bread and butter is getting downhill, the Valkyries defense forced her into open threes, and she made four of them. Canada also made plays at a high level, finding Naz Hillmon four times on the move in addition to finding Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner when they had advantageous matchups. She tied her season high with nine assists. Canada had some late game heroics, although they weren’t enough for a Dream win. She scored an and-one with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Dream a 75-73 lead, their first of the game since 21 seconds were left in the second quarter.

The Dream established Griner in the second quarter when she scored 13 points on six shots, including a wide open three-pointer at the top of the key. Griner’s teammates in Jordin Canada, Nia Coffey, and Maya Caldwell did an excellent job of timing post entry passes to Griner, making sure she had either space to work or was just in a single coverage. Once the Lynx adjusted to Griner’s success scoring the basketball, she made sure to kick the ball out once her gravity lured in double and sometimes triple teams. All of Griner’s assists resulted in made threes from Caldwell, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Te-Hina Paopao.

Wednesday was an emotional night for Griner, who was playing in Phoenix as a visitor for the first time since leaving the Mercury in free agency this past offseason. After watching a pregame tribute video made in her honor, the 6-foot-9 center had one of her best games of the season. Griner shot well above 50 percent from the field and recorded eight rebounds, with the 17 points being the most she’s scored in a game since a June 6 loss to the Sun in which she tallied 18. Wednesday’s performance was good for Griner, who missed out on the All-Star Game after earning the honor each of the previous three seasons.