Dream rule F Nia Coffey (hand) out for season

Atlanta Dream starting forward Nia Coffey will miss the rest of the 2023 season due to a left hand injury she suffered last week.

Atlanta announced Coffey's status Thursday, saying the decision came after consulting with specialists. It was not known whether Coffey would require surgery, but the team expects her to make a full recovery.

Coffey, 28, last played Aug. 13 and missed the Dream's past two games since then. In her seventh WNBA season and her third with Atlanta, Coffey was averaging 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in 31 games (all starts).

Across 177 games (82 starts) with the San Antonio Stars/Las Vegas Aces franchise (2017-18), Atlanta (2019, 2022-23), Phoenix Mercury (2020) and Los Angeles Sparks (2021), Coffey has career averages of 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She was the fifth overall pick of the 2017 WNBA Draft.

The Dream (16-17), who have lost four of five games, host the Sparks on Friday night.