The past few weeks have been pretty good for Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus. The same can't be said for the expansion Atlanta Dream.
After getting named to the U.S. Olympic team, Augustus looks to help the Lynx continue the longest undefeated start in franchise history when they visit the winless Dream on Tuesday night.
Augustus is fifth in the league with 20.0 points per game and also leads Minnesota (4-0) with a career-high 5.3 rebounds a contest. She scored 22 points to lead four Lynx in double figures as Minnesota beat winless defending champion Phoenix 94-83 on Saturday night.
That victory came hours after Augustus was selected along with eight other players to compete in the Beijing Olympics for the United States.
"I called my dad because he was the person that first put the ball in my hand," Augustus said. "To finally be named to the Olympic team I had to give my thanks to him. And then we're 4-0, that puts the icing of the cake right there."
The Lynx, who went 10-24 in each of the last two seasons, aren't getting complacent despite their early success.
"We know its not how you start the season, but how you finish," said coach Don Zierden, whose club is the last undefeated team in the league. "We just take it in perspective."
The Dream (0-4) are one of three remaining winless teams and are seeking the franchise's first victory, but have dropped their four contests by an average of 17.3 points. Though it's been a rough start for the club in its first year of existence, Atlanta is coming off its closest game of the season - an 80-74 defeat at Washington last Tuesday.
Betty Lennox, who spent her first three WNBA seasons with Minnesota, led the Dream with a season-high 29 points. She had gone 1-for-10 from the field in her previous outing, but made 10 of 17 shots Tuesday, including a career-high six 3-pointers on seven attempts.
While with Seattle last season, Lennox averaged 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 53.5 percent in four games against Minnesota.
The Dream have reason to be encouraged by their last game, but it was also a costly defeat. Atlanta center Erika Desouza suffered a lower leg fracture and is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks. Desouza is second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and first in rebounding (9.0).