Atlanta, GA
Fire’s hot shooting leads to 102-92 win over Dream with Angel Reese injured
The Portland Fire capitalized on Atlanta’s cold shooting and defensive lapses Saturday night, defeating the Dream 102-92 and handing Atlanta its sixth loss in the past seven games.
The Dream played without All-Star forward Angel Reese, who was ruled out before tipoff with a right leg injury after turning her right ankle during Thursday’s win over the Seattle Storm. Reese had been listed as questionable entering the game before Atlanta announced she would not play. Rookie center Madina Okot made the start in her place and responded with a career-high 19 points.
All five Dream starters scored in double figures. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 20 points, Naz Hillmon added 15, and Jordin Canada recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 assists. Canada now leads all WNBA guards in double-doubles this season. Rhyne Howard finished with 10 points and four steals.
The difference came from beyond the arc.
Atlanta shot just 23% from 3-point range, while Portland consistently punished defensive breakdowns, tying its season-high with 14 three-pointers on 29 attempts.
“We got good looks,” Hillmon said. “We just have to knock them down.”
The Dream trailed 51-44 at halftime after Portland exploited defensive miscommunication on pick-and-pop actions to create open looks. Atlanta cut the deficit to 88-81 midway through the fourth quarter, but Portland answered every push with back-to-back baskets to put the game away.
“Anytime we miscommunicated, anytime we over-helped, they found their open shooters or their rollers,” Hillmon said.
Head coach Karl Smesko said the Dream generated enough quality opportunities but couldn’t overcome their shooting struggles.
“We made defensive mistakes, they made us pay for them, and we couldn’t keep up with as well as they were shooting the ball,” Smesko said. “We had three or four miscommunications on some of those pick-and-pops. We had two people go with one, and they just have too many good shooters for that.”
Atlanta’s offensive process, Smesko said, wasn’t the problem.
“We’re winning possessions by a margin that you would probably win 95% of those games, but not if your effective field goal percentage is going to be what ours is,” he said.
The Fire won with a balanced scoring attack. Megan Gustafson led the team with 17 points, Serah Williams added 15 off the bench, Emily Engstler finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, Carla Leite had 13 points and 10 assists, and Bridget Carleton scored 12 points while knocking down four 3-pointers. Teja Oblak chipped in nine points, including several key baskets in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.
Atlanta drops to 13-10 with the loss and will look to regroup in its next game against the Los Angeles Sparks before the All-Star break.
A new report offers up new details on the Atlanta Braves‘ efforts to make a blockbuster Tarik Skubal trade earlier this week. And it seems they were never close to getting a deal done.
After seeing their streak of seven straight playoff appearances end after an 86-loss season last year, the Braves have returned to being one of the elite teams in the National League in 2026. Heading into their series opener against the New York Yankees on Friday, Atlanta now owns the second-best record in MLB (70-45), thanks to a major slump for the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yet, for as good as the Braves are and can be when they get some key players back from the injured list, there are still many who doubt they can overcome the Dodgers in the playoffs. That is why they were among the teams linked to a trade for the Detroit Tigers superstar over the last couple of weeks.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Atlanta was among the top contenders for Skubal’s services heading into Monday’s MLB trade deadline. However, to the dismay of baseball fans around the country, the Dodgers — of all teams — ended up winning the Skubal sweepstakes.
In Rosenthal’s latest report on the chase for the two-time All-Star, he sheds new light on the Braves’ pursuit of the pitcher, and it seems their chances were never very good.
“The Braves never got close to a deal for Skubal, even though they made virtually all of their young players available, including right-handers AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie.”
-Ken Rosenthal
Atlanta Braves could have done more before the MLB trade deadline
It is certainly a positive that the Braves did make a real effort to land the two-time Cy Young Award winner. While he would have probably been a rental, adding his talent to their starting rotation would have made Atlanta a serious threat to both the Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers this fall.
After failing to get Skubal, the Braves pivoted to moves for veteran starter Tyler Mahle and added bullpen depth with the acquisition of Brent Suter. However, they probably could have done better. If Atlanta felt they needed a front-line starter, there were options on the block that were better than Mahle.
Rivals the New York Mets had two intriguing options in 2025 Cy Young finalist Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes. And the Tigers also made underrated veteran starter Casey Mize available. Yes, those pitchers are nowhere close to as good as Skubal. But they are probably better than Mahle, who has a 5.13 ERA this season. However, the club went with a more affordable option and hopes their internal arms coming off the IL can be huge difference-makers over the next three months.
Do you think the Braves made the right moves before the trade deadline?
Atlanta, GA
Heavy rain could cause flash flooding across North and Central Georgia through Thursday evening
Keep the umbrella close Thursday. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across North and Central Georgia during the afternoon, bringing heavy rain that could cause localized flash flooding.
The National Weather Service said storms with high rainfall rates could create flooding problems through Thursday evening. Some storms may also produce gusty winds and frequent lightning.
CBS News Atlanta meteorologist Troy Bridges said the morning commute and early school drop-offs should remain mostly dry before rain chances increase after lunch.
“We’re good and dry. No need for the rain gear, but put that umbrella in the backpack because we’re going to see rain chances increase, especially late in the day,” Bridges said.
Rain coverage is expected to be around 20% at lunchtime before increasing to 50% by 3 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms could continue through the evening commute between 5 and 6 p.m.
Bridges said an area of high pressure over Florida is pulling moisture north from the Gulf, helping fuel the storms. The heaviest downpours could quickly overwhelm low-lying or poorly drained areas.
“We’re going to see the chance for some localized flooding, so we have to watch for that,” Bridges said.
Temperatures in Atlanta are expected to reach around 90 degrees Thursday afternoon. Highs across North and Central Georgia will range from the mid-80s to the lower 90s, with heat index values generally between 100 and 105 degrees outside the north Georgia mountains.
Rain chances are expected to fall to about 30% Friday before increasing again this weekend. The Weather Service said afternoon showers and thunderstorms will remain possible each day, with heavy rain and gusty winds as the main threats.
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