National Basketball Association

Sparks look to maintain rhythm vs. Dream (Jun 30, 2017)

Published Jun. 30, 2017 12:28 a.m. ET

The Atlanta Dream stopped a Los Angeles Sparks hot streak last season.

Atlanta will try to do it again Friday when the surging Sparks visit McCamish Pavilion.

After an uneven start, Los Angeles has found its rhythm and is playing its best basketball of the season. The defending-champion Sparks (10-3) have won six in a row, including an 87-79 road win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.

"We're getting better defensively," Los Angeles coach Brian Agler said after the Connecticut win. "At the start of the season, we were one of the bottom two teams. I'm not sure where we are now, but we're better than that."

The Sparks were playing well last year, too, when they arrived in Atlanta for a July 17 showdown with the Dream. Los Angeles entered that game with a 20-1 record, the best start in WNBA history, but was shut down by the Dream in a 91-74 loss.

"It's completely different years. Last year was historical. It's hard to match that," Sparks forward Candace Parker said Tuesday. "We're just trying to stay in this game and figure out what works this year."

While Los Angeles has found its stride, the Dream (5-6) are struggling, having lost five of six, including a disappointing 82-78 home loss to the Chicago Sky last week.

Atlanta beat the Sparks 75-73 on May 28 behind 24 points by forward Tiffany Hayes. The Dream's defense held the Sparks to 41.7 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers.

"I think we need to do what we did the first time, and that's get up on defense," Dream forward Brittney Sykes said this week. "That was the first team ever we had three shot-clock violations in a row against, and that came just from a pure defensive mindset and ability. I think if we come out and do that, and we score the ball and run them up and down the floor, we have a great possibility to win."

The Dream could receive a boost from the return of forward Sancho Lyttle, who led Spain to the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket championship Sunday with a 19-point, eight-rebound performance in the final.

Lyttle is averaging 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Dream this season.