Inside Dream’s stunning 17-point comeback in Seattle

The Storm (3-3) also took advantage of an exceptional first-half shooting performance (53% from the floor) that included a combined 14 points from Gabby Williams — who played in the place of injured Alysha Clark (left ankle) — Erica Wheeler and Ezi Magbegor and a bench unit that produced 13 points.

It also didn’t help that the Dream shot 34% from the floor, limited to six free-throw attempts and players not named Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined for 13 of 34 points through two quarters.

Seattle led by as many as 17 points after Diggins drained a pullup jumper with 8:45 to play in the third.

That is until the Dream crashed the Storm’s momentum and altered the landscape of the game.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Instead of settling for 3-point shots and relying so much on jump shots, Dream coach Karl Smesko elected to use the Dream’s small ball lineup — Howard, Gray, Brionna Jones, Maya Caldwell and Naz Hillmon — to attack the basket.

On defense, the altered unit helped decrease some of the Storm’s damage in pick-and-roll situations, force turnovers and limit Seattle in rebounding.

“They (Storm) were definitely hurting us in ball screens,” Smesko said after the Dream’s 94-87 comeback win against the Storm.

“I wanted to push the tempo a little bit. I thought (if) we went a little smaller, we might have an opportunity to defend a little better. … It was working pretty well. … We just kind of stuck with it throughout the rest of the game.”

Gray and Howard combined for 61 of the Dream’s total points and played key roles in the team’s 15-6 run in the last five and a half minutes of regulation to give the franchise its first win in CPA, where the Storm started playing in May 2022.

But a portion of the efforts from the two-time All-Stars came from the sacrifice and all-around energy from Hillmon. She snagged six offensive rebounds of her seven total in the contest, to go along with 11 points and a plus-24 rating, her third highest single game career plus-minus of her three-year WNBA career.

“I just try to do little things to get them (teammates) extra shots and opportunities,” Hillmon said.

The Dream (5-2) sit in third place in the latest WNBA standings through the first seven games in a two-week span that included one back-to-back as well as four of the contests in a seven-day window.

Here’s what we learned from the Dream’s win against the Storm, Smesko’s thoughts on his first month of coaching in the WNBA and what the team will face in June.

More iconic performances from Gray, Howard

It’s hard to defeat the Dream when Howard and Gray play at an otherworldly level.

Gray struggled in the first half, finishing with 7 points on 2-of-6 shooting from the floor and three rebounds and two assists.

Howard, who was the only Dream player in double figures in the first 20 minutes of the contest, tallied 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

However, when Smesko flipped the Dream’s offensive script to attack the rim, it placed pressure on the Storm to defend the Dream’s dribble drives to the rim, producing foul trouble for Wheeler — who picked up two of her three fouls in the second half — as well as Magbegor and Williams, who both tallied four fouls in the final 20 minutes of action.

As for Howard and Gray, they penetrated the interior for pullup jumpers and layups as part of a whopping seven and-1 (count the basket plus the free throw) scoring opportunities in the contest.

“Our pace wasn’t great (to start the game),” Smesko said in reference to the Dream’s effort to attack the rim in the second half. “We weren’t moving. We were pretty stagnant. Rhyne (Howard) off ball screens was just making good decision after good decision.”

Howard finished the game with a team-high 33 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Gray notched a new career high 28 points, to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

The 30-year-old is currently the only player in the WNBA to average 20 or more points, five or more rebounds and five or more assists.

“The level she’s (Gray) been playing on is remarkable.”

Naz Hillmon’s rebounding prowess

After the Dream’s 88-82 victory Tuesday against the Los Angeles Sparks, Howard referred to Hillmon as the team’s true leader.

However, her leadership doesn’t require her to be one of the team’s leading scorers on a stat sheet.

While the ex-Michigan star produced the most rebounds, double-doubles and free throws, as well as finished as the second best scorer in program history, her role with the Dream is different.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

But it is one that the 25-year-old embraces. Of her six offensive rebounds, five came in the second half including three in the fourth, one of which resulted in a Howard 3-pointer to put the Dream up 82-76 with nearly 4:00 to play.

“In terms of offensive rebounding, I feel like I’m at a point in the season where I know where most of my teammates’ shots are going to fall, whether it’s long or short, left or right,” Hillmon said.

“That’s just something that I’ve always really prided myself on, being able to track down those extra possessions for my teammates.”

In addition to Hillmon, Jones grabbed three of the team’s 13 offensive rebounds, something that Smesko doesn’t take lightly.

“Bri (Jones) had some big baskets and 3-point plays for us,” Smesko added. “ … It’s not one of those things where we had a couple players play amazing. We had other players contribute in big ways, too. … When you’re trying to come back from 15 to 17, points, it’s going to take a team effort.”

Defense overcomes first half performance

Seattle entered Friday’s clash with the league’s fourth best field-goal percentage (45.2%) while averaging the third most assists (22.8) per game.

Judging by the first half — with Seattle shooting 53% from the floor along with nine assists on 18 made field goals — the Storm were on pace to meet their average or potentially eclipse with the help of elite ball screen action.

While Seattle managed to top its average in field goal percentage, the Dream limited the Storm in their assists (17).

“They (Storm) were setting the ball screens way out of the scoring area,” Smesko said on the Dream’s second-half defensive adjustments.

“We were just trying to make sure that we went under any ball screen that was way out of the scoring area so that we weren’t giving them easy downhill things (scoring opportunities).

Brittney Griner returns to court, despite limited offensive impact

Griner returned to the Dream’s starting lineup after missing the team’s past two games against the Connecticut Sun and the Los Angeles Sparks because of knee injuries.

Griner tallied 2 points, one rebound, one assist and three blocks in nearly 15 minutes of action.

The 10-time All-Star only played 1:17 of the third quarter before remaining on the bench in the final period.

After the game, Smesko said he never planned to give Griner a ton of minutes in her first game back because of the team’s limited practice. However, he expects the 34-year-old to be back to her normal self in games to come.

“We know that (Griner) is a big part of what we’re going to be doing here,” Smesko said. “Once we get back, we get a couple more days off. (Once) she gets a few practices under her belt, I’m sure she’ll get back to just what she was doing before (her) injury.”

What’s ahead for the Dream in June

The Dream will play 10 games in June with six contests at home. After a taxing month to open the WNBA season, the Dream will not play another game until Friday when they go on the road to face the Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena.

After a clash against Connecticut, the Dream will return home for two games starting June 10 against the Indiana Fever and June 13 against the Chicago Sky.

Other notable games in the month include multiple contests against the Washington Mystics, multiple matchups against the New York Liberty, a second clash against the Sky as well as games against the Dallas Wings and the Minnesota Lynx.

Smesko said having a week before the next game will give his players the opportunity to practice more and continue to recoup from a hectic first month.

“This was a lot of games in a very short period of time,” Smesko said. “We really didn’t have a lot of practice, and with the West Coast trip, we’re going to need a couple days of recovery. Then, we’ll come back to practice to work on the things that we think can make the biggest impact to our improvement.”

Ironically, the Dream sat in a similar spot by the end of May 2024, at 4-2.

However, the franchise went 3-8 in the month of June, mainly because of health and injuries taking a toll on the roster last season.

But with Smesko in charge and the Dream establishing continuity and learning how to win close games, he is optimistic of what’s to come in his second month on the job.

“We’ve (Dream) shown much better composure down the stretch of games, pulling together (and) understanding what shots we’re looking for at the end of games.”