Atlanta Dream vs Phoenix Mercury Prediction, 8/22/2026 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Atlanta Dream vs Phoenix Mercury

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2026

Location: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: WNBA League Pass

Mortgage Matchup Center is the venue where and the Phoenix Mercury (13-23) will take on the Atlanta Dream (23-13) on Saturday.

The Atlanta Dream faced off with the Los Angeles Sparks and took home the win by a score of 124-88 in their last game. Atlanta ended the game having earned a 63.9% FG percentage (46 out of 72) and knocked down 16 of their 26 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Dream made 16 of their 22 tries for a percentage of 72.7%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 32 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 18 assists in the matchup while forcing 17 turnovers and earning 15 steals. When talking about the defense, Atlanta allowed 47.5% from the field on 29 out of 61 shooting. Los Angeles earned 7 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. On top of that, Los Angeles collected 33 boards (7 offensive, 26 defensive) and had 12 rejections. Los Angeles walked away from this one shooting 76.9% when shooting free throws by making 20 of 26 shots. They also converted 10 out of their 27 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Rhyne Howard is a player who was a major contributor for this game. She ended up finishing with 26 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. She played for 25 minutes played and also grabbed 3 boards. Howard walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the floor and distributed 5 assists.

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Atlanta enters this game with a record of 23-13 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 20.0 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Atlanta is pulling in 35.3 rebounds per contest and has earned 761 assists this season, which is 7th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Dream are shooting 32.6% on three-point shots (312 of 957) and 78.6% from the free throw line. They average 91.2 points per contest (3rd in the league) while shooting 44.0% from the floor. On defense, the Dream are able to force 15.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 3rd in the WNBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 694 conceded for the season. The Dream defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 47.6% (567 of 782) and they relinquish 30.4 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 36.5% on three-point shots and they rank 4th in the league in PPG from their opponents (85.7).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Phoenix Mercury took a loss by a score of 88-85 when they faced the Portland Fire. The Mercury were able to pull down 29 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 36 in the game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Fire committed 23 fouls in the game which got the Mercury to the free throw line for 25 attempts. They were able to convert 20 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 80.0%. When talking about three-point shots, Phoenix knocked down 9 of their 27 tries (33.3%). In all, the Mercury finished shooting 28 out of 67 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.8%. The Mercury permitted the Fire to make 32 of their 71 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.1% in the matchup. They shot 27.0% from three-point range by going 10 out of 37 and finished the contest at 14 out of 21 from the free throw line (66.7%). Regarding rebounding, Phoenix permitted Portland to pull down 36 in all (10 on the offensive glass).

DeWanna Bonner ended up being a major contributor for the Mercury for this game. She made 7 of 16 for the contest for a field goal rate of 43.8%, and had 6 rebounds. Bonner earned 23 points in her 33 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist.

Phoenix has a mark of 13-23 on the season. Phoenix has earned 3,020 pts so far this year (83.9 per game) and they grab 31.6 rebounds per game. The Mercury commit 18.5 personal fouls per contest and they go 78.3% from the free throw line. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mercury are connecting on 44.3% from the field, which is 10th in the WNBA. They are assisting teammates 19.9 times per game (11th in basketball) and they turn it over 13.1 times per contest. The Mercury are ranked 9th in the WNBA in points given up per game with 87.5. They are forcing 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (11th in basketball). The Phoenix defense gives up 36.2% from downtown (355 of 982) and opponents are connecting on 79.2% of their free throw shots. They have given up 21.5 assists and 34.1 boards per game, which is ranked 11th and 11th in the WNBA.

Who will win tonight's WNBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Atlanta

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