Karl Smesko, with his soaking-wet, black, long-sleeve quarter-zip Dream polo, cracked a smile as he sat at the table following his team’s 91-90 victory Tuesday at the Indiana Fever.
Before the game, Smesko, typically a man of few words, predicted he would need a change of clothes from the bus after the game, hinting he would capture his first win as Dream head coach and would be drenched with water inside the locker room.
His intuition came true as the Dream (1-1) used a hot start offensively, increased their defensive effort, generated fewer turnovers and made a concerted effort to earn trips to the free-throw line to bounce back after a season-opening loss to the Washington Mystics.
In a game in which the Dream registered two 30-plus point quarters and held two double-digit leads — an 11-point advantage in the first quarter and a 14-point cushion in the third — the team still needed to fend off a Fever squad that made multiple runs in the final period to make things interesting inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“(The game) could have gone either way.” Smesko said postgame Tuesday. “This time, we were able to hold on. … Indiana made it very difficult down the stretch, and just proud of all of our players and all the contributions they made.”
Now, the Dream will seek to produce another win in a rematch against the Fever (1-1) — the third matchup against Indiana in 12 days, including both teams’ preseason finales — in front of an expected full-capacity crowd inside State Farm Arena, which holds nearly 17,000 in comparison to the 3,500 at Gateway Center Arena at College Park.
Here’s five things to know about the Dream as they seek their second win of the season.
Dream must start fast
The team jumped to a 13-6 advantage in the first quarter against Indiana en route to a 31-23 lead at the end of the period. The Dream found success by feeding the ball inside to Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, as the duo combined for 19 of the team’s first 31 points in the quarter, with 14 coming in the paint and seven coming from second-chance points.
“Some games might be a pound (inside the paint),” Griner said after Tuesday’s victory. “Some games are going to be outside games. We’re just doing whatever it takes to win. … I get one shot or a bunch of shots, I don’t think anybody cares. … We just want to see that (win) at the end.”
Jones registered her second double-double — 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists — of the season. Griner scored a team-high 21 with eight rebounds.
Strong performance from Rhyne Howard helps
Howard struggled from the floor in preseason and shot 4-of-14 in the Dream’s season-opening loss to the Washington Mystics. She finished Tuesday’s game with 20 points off 5-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-13 from beyond the arc.
While the two-time All-Star didn’t produce the best shooting night in terms of field-goal percentage, she opened the third quarter by making three consecutive 3-pointers, which played a key factor in her confidence for the rest of the game.
“That (first 3-pointer) really got me comfortable,” Howard said. “Hitting those next two after put the pressure on them, made them call the first timeout and really just got our team going.”
Her ability to score and chase Caitlin Clark on the court in pick-and-rolls throughout the contest helped the Dream in a big way.
“Her (Howard’s) defensive effort and defensive intensity was excellent,” Smesko said. “She kept being aggressive. … Came up big with the free throws at the end (two made with 9.1 seconds to go). … Great all-around performance.”
The Dream will need her two-way prowess again Thursday.
Offensive efficiency for four quarters
After Tuesday’s win, Smesko praised his team for how it maintained efficiency on offense.
The Dream committed fewer turnovers (11) than in its loss to the Mystics (16), won the offensive rebounding battle (12-8) to secure 18 second-chance points while also registering 19 assists on 29 made field goals. Combine that with 12 combined points off the bench from Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey — who came up with the game-winning rebound.
In a game against one of the top four teams in the league in points per game (91.5) and second in defensive rating (87.1), the Dream conquered the challenge and will need to carry that momentum into the next game.
Defensive pressure must be great
While the Fever’s Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston each finished with 20 or more points Tuesday, the Dream tightened their defensive efforts by deflecting balls, getting in passing lanes, generating steals (seven) and recording blocked shots (five).
But when defending the Fever, it comes down to defending Clark‘s playmaking ability to pick-and-roll with Boston and Clark‘s ability to navigate the paint and potentially kick the ball out to Mitchell and DeWanna Bonner around the perimeter.
Before facing Indiana, Smesko considered the clash a “litmus test” to see how his team would respond on defense after giving up 94 points to Washington in the season opener.
“They have great players all over the court,” Smesko said about Indiana’s offense. “Their transition game is top-notch. They are probably one of the best offenses in the league. Caitlin makes so many great decisions with it (the ball). She really forces your defense to be disciplined. … (Our defensive) technique will have to be excellent, and sometimes you are going to play great defense and great players are still going to score.”
What’s next for the Dream
After Thursday’s contest, the Dream will remain at home but return to Gateway Center Arena with contests Saturday against the Dallas Wings and Sunday against the Connecticut Sun. The Dream finished 8-12 at home last season.
After their three-game homestand this week, the Dream will enter a three-game road trip, with contests May 27 against the Los Angeles Sparks, May 30 against the Seattle Storm and June 6 against the Sun. The Dream won’t return home for a game until June 10, when the team squares off again against the Fever.
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