The Atlanta Dream are truly living a dream. The squad set a franchise record for home attendance Friday, in a game the team played against Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
The Dream bowed to the Fever, 91-79, so it wasn't the best dream for Atlanta. More than 17,000 spectators came to see the game, which had to be moved to a larger venue due to ticket demand. The Dream is now 6-8 on the season following the loss. The game was moved to State Farm Arena, and 17,575 fans showed up.
The Clark effect on WNBA basketball
The WNBA continues to score high attendance numbers and high TV ratings this season. One of the biggest reasons for that is Caitlin Clark, who is playing her first season in the league. This comes also as the NBA is seeing a decline in ratings, for the NBA Finals. Clark is truly transforming the sport of women's basketball. She is just one of several rookies making a large impact this season, including Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
Clark scored 16 points for the Fever in their victory over the Dream. She also finished with a plus-minus of +13 in the game, the best mark of any of the Indiana starters. Indiana is now 7-10 on the season, and is getting better after a rough start. Clark has struggled at times during her rookie season, but clearly has talent. She seems much more comfortable on the floor in the last few weeks, and so is her team. Indiana has won six of their last eight games. The Fever outscored the Dream in every quarter but the final one on Friday, in a tremendous team performance.
The Dream were paced by Tina Charles, who scored 24 points. The nearly 18,000 in attendance were surely disappointed the team lost, but they got quite a show. The Dream had four players score in double figures. The team struggled from the field, shooting only 22 percent from three-point range. The squad also made only 33 percent of their total shots. Meanwhile, the Fever were red-hot with a 56 percent field-goal percentage. That clearly made a difference.
The Dream are hopeful that they continue to see that kind of fan support. The franchise is searching for its first WNBA championship. The franchise does have three conference titles, however, so they have gotten close to that elusive title. The last conference championship for Atlanta came in 2013. The team has been in the league since 2008.
Atlanta next takes to the floor on Sunday, against the New York Liberty. It is another home game, so hopefully fans continue to show up and support the team. The Dream are trying to shake off back-to-back losses to the Fever and the Minnesota Lynx.
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