With 13 games left to play in the WNBA regular season, the Minnesota Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth.
The Atlanta Dream, however, still have work to do.
The Lynx (19-2) host the Dream (10-13) on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Atlanta sits in eighth place thanks to a tiebreaker it has with ninth-place Seattle, which is also 10-13. Dallas (11-14) is percentage points ahead of the Dream in seventh place.
Earlier this week, Atlanta acquired center Imani Boyette and forward Tamera Young from Chicago in exchange for forward Jordan Hooper and the Dream's first-round pick in the 2018 draft. Atlanta also received Chicago's 2018 second-round pick.
"It is tough to give up a shooter like Jordan Hooper but we need help rebounding," Atlanta coach Michael Cooper said. "Boyette provides us size with the ability to defend and rebound, while Young is a veteran presence, who is a hard-nosed player that can not only rebound but also knock down the mid-range jumper."
The Dream, who are second in the WNBA in block percentage, will pair the 6-foot-7 Boyette with 6-4 center-forward Elizabeth Williams.
Boyette, in her second year out of Texas, averaged 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22 games with the Sky.
Young's perimeter shooting should bolster Atlanta's league-worst 3-point attack. The 10-year veteran is averaging a career-high 10.2 points per game.
The Dream are led by Tiffany Hayes (17.1 points per game) and Brittney Sykes (12.2), who was named rookie of the month for July.
The Lynx, off to the best start in franchise history, lead the league in points scored and points allowed and are outscoring opponents by better than 10 points a game.
"We have something that we know is really special here that we've been building since 2010 and 2011. We put team first and want what's best for each other," point guard Lindsay Whalen told the team's website. "You want to give yourself a chance in the playoffs. The other night we achieved the first goal of reaching the playoffs. We have more to achieve this season. We want to do it together.
"At the end of the day, we are winning and we are having fun doing it."
Minnesota has 13 games remaining -- more than any other team -- including seven on the road.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said her team needs to finish as it started.
"It means home stretch. It means sprint to the finish. It means you're seeing teams for the second or third time, in most cases," Reeve said. "You move into a different phase, you're not going to be able to run your stuff cleanly at this point. That moves you closer towards playoffs. Being able to play when somebody takes something away is really important at this point."
Second and third looks at Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles might not help the WNBA's other teams.
Fowles, who is second in the league in scoring and third in rebounds and blocks, was named Western Conference Player of the Month for July. She has won the award all three times this season.
"She is the MVP of our league up to this point. There is nobody better than Syl at owning a spot deep in the paint," Reeve said.
The Lynx will be in Indiana on Sunday to face the Fever prior to a Tuesday rematch with the Dream in Atlanta.
The Dream travel to Chicago on Saturday to take on the Sky.
