The Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky, 78-67, behind Cheyenne Parker’s career-high 29 point night.
The Dream are in unfamiliar territory. They were without All-Star Rhyne Howard (face/nose injury) and forward Nia Coffey (hand injury). Head Coach Tanisha Wright plugged in Naz Hillmon and Aari McDonald in their place, and the lineup netted early results with the high defensive intensity that led to some quick buckets. Still, it fizzled as the seconds of the first quarter ticked down. The Sky found their shots early, and by early in the second, they hold a 10-point lead.
The Dream showed signs of life with some stellar assists, but their smaller lineup did them no favors defensively. They are easily outmatched on the glass, which begins to take its toll as the Sky turn their defense into offense. Unfortunately, the Dream cannot find a way to counter, and their offense goes completely cold until Allisha Gray cuts through the noise with a timely three-point bucket. Affectionately called “Big Al” by her teammates, Gray took it upon herself to bring the “big” effort to help the Dream return to the energy they showed early. By halftime, the Dream are up 39-37 behind Gray’s 14 points and 11 points from Cheyenne Parker.
As the game continues, the third quarter is horrid. The Sky outscore the Dream 17-14, holding them to 25% shooting and controlling the game’s tempo as the fourth quarter opens. However, Parker and Gray partner to keep the energy flowing and the shots falling until Gray goes down with an injury that sends a hush over the crowd. She eventually returns to play (after Howard helps her off the floor), showing her impressive resilience. Parker ignites for an incredible six-of-seven shooting that lifts her to a career-high of 29 points. Gray ultimately finishes with 20 points and seven rebounds. The Dream win 78-67, getting them back to .500.
“I thought it was a good gutsy win from us,” Coach Wright said. “We showed a lot of toughness tonight, a lot of which has been missing from us all year. People down. Next man up mentality. We relied heavily on our two all-stars, and they came through.”
Parker added to Wright’s thoughts, crediting her teammates and coaches for bringing out her career best. “They stay on me. They stay in my ear and remind me, ‘You got this. Fight through it. Push, push, push.’ They helped me through each possession.”
Five of the season’s final eight games are at home for the Dream, and they need to find ways to win if they want to make the playoffs.
They face the league-leading Las Vegas Aces at home on Tuesday.
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