The Atlanta Dream continue to defy expectations. They withstand a tough matchup against the Chicago Sky to win 88-77. The victory is their fifth straight.
Like Friday evening, Ryan Howard takes the early initiative to jumpstart the offense. The Dream get going with early contributions from Cheyenne Parker and Nia Coffey. However, the Sky do not let the team breathe. They trade bucket for bucket, led by forward Kahleah Copper. As the quarter winds down, the teams are even, 20-20, with 1:41 remaining, but hustle plays by Naz Hillmon and Monique Billings help push the team out front, 24-23.
The Dream continue punishing the Sky with speed and ball movement as the second quarter arrives. Howard, in particular, shows her ability to catch and shoot, shredding the defense and creating poetry in motion with three-point balls. The Sky can’t keep up on either side of the floor. Their shooting is a miserable 26.7%, but it’s not for lack of effort. The Dream aren’t astonishingly better at 44%, but they capitalize with hustle, grit, and effort from Coffey, rookie Haley Jones, and veteran Danielle Robinson. They go into halftime leading 42-33.
As the Sky strike first, another heavyweight bout awaits these two teams in the third quarter. The Dream quickly answer. However, here come the Sky with a barrage of points that the Dream struggle to match. The only answer the Dream have is Howard, who continues to shoot lights out. With back-to-back Dream turnovers at 4:47, the Sky lead 55-52, causing head coach Tanisha Wright to take a timeout. Out of the break, Howard continues to make her presence felt with a lethal catch and shoot three-pointer. Despite the 34-point quarter from the Sky and eight missed shots from Atlanta, the Dream claw their way back. They head to the fourth up 68-67.
The Sky deserve much credit for hanging around in the fourth quarter. They chip away at the Dream’s lead and use their speed to get quick buckets. But this is the Dream’s world; we’re just living in it. Howard is doing Howard things. Parker, Gray, and Robinson also join the party. With just under four minutes to play, the team works to build a lead through challenging plays and sticky defense. With an emphatic “Let’s Go!” from Parker after a tough bucket to put the Dream up 78-71, the Dream are in the driver’s seat. Add several game-sealing steals, and the Dream inch this one out, 88-77, on the back of Howard’s 32 points.
The Dream have one more game before the All-Star break, where Parker and Gray will join Team Wilson in Las Vegas. They play at home against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, July 12.
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