Dream go ice cold in loss to Wings

The Dream shot 15-of-64 overall and a dismal 7-of-34 (20.6%) from deep. The offense clicked sporadically, breaking the 30% shooting mark in the second and fourth quarters.

Dallas capitalized on the Dream’s inefficiency. The Wings dominated the glass 44-37, created extra possessions through hustle plays and maintained control. As a result, Dream coach Karl Smesko kept things short and simple in his assessment of the team’s performance.

“They (Wings) were scrapping, getting offensive rebounds and loose balls,” Smekso said. “It was a very challenging game. … We did get a lot of shots that I think are pretty typical to the shots we get. We just didn’t really make them. … We never really got on that run. We never got to see the ball go through the basket that much, and that frustrated us. … That’s part of the game, being able to handle missing and not letting it affect you later in the game.”

The Dream produced their lowest offensive output of the season. While their defense held the Wings to only 68 points, the inability to convert open looks was the key difference in the loss. With upcoming matchups against the league’s top two teams — the Minnesota Lynx on Friday and the New York Liberty on Sunday — the Dream must rediscover their offensive identity.

Dream star forward Rhyne Howard, who led Atlanta with 23 points, remains confident in the team’s shooting and offensive ability.

“Our confidence is not going to waver because we didn’t shoot well tonight,” Howard said. “ All of them (threes and field goals) are open looks, or most of them. … We know we can knock them down. …This probably is about the worst that we could shoot this year. We know we’re not going to stop shooting just because they didn’t fall in one game.”

Here are three takeaways from the Dream’s loss against the Wings.

Dismal 3-point shooting

The Dream opened the game ice-cold, missing 17 of their first 20 shots and all 11 of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter. They didn’t connect from beyond the arc until nearly two minutes into the second quarter, when Howard finally buried a triple off an offensive rebound and assist from Nia Coffey.

By halftime, Atlanta had managed just 3-of-16 shooting from 3. The second half didn’t bring much relief, as the Dream closed the game hitting only 4-of-18 from long range, finishing the night with their lowest 3-point percentage of the season.

“Unfortunately, things like this happen over a 44-game season,” Smesko said. “There’s going to be some games where you shoot it exceptionally well, and maybe you beat a team that might even be a little bit better than you. …Then there’s other days where you have a couple games a year where you have a really poor shooting performance, and it makes it tough to win. This was one of those days. …We still got to find a way to do a better job putting the ball in the basket.”

Despite the team’s shooting woes, Rhyne Howard reached a personal milestone, scoring 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-14 from deep, to eclipse 2,000 career points. She became only the fifth player in franchise history to achieve that feat.

Allisha Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer, struggled mightily, going 3-of-16 from the field for 13 points. Brionna Jones added 12 points but shot just 3-of-10.

Dream failed to limit Wings’ paint production

In the first quarter, the Dream struggled to defend and limit the impact of Wings center Li Yueru around the rim off pick-and-pop situations with the team’s guards. She knocked down midrange jumpers and showed tremendous poise on the glass. Yueru, who made her first start for Dallas on Tuesday, finished with her first double-double of the season — 10 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.

“She (Yueru) had a great game,” Smesko said. “(She) hit some midrange jumpers. She got offensive rebounds. She did a great job on the boards. She was setting ball screens, and we did a good job with the ball screen. But then they (Wings) would change the angle and they would just keep working until they could get something.”

Yueru’s presence opened up the floor, particularly in the paint, where the Wings scored 30 points in comparison to the Dream’s 14. The Wings’ interior success stemmed not only from Yueru’s activity but also from the aggressive downhill play of the Wings’ backcourt. Ogunbowale, along with rookies Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James, consistently attacked off screens, slipped past defenders and finished at the rim.

Bench production limited in Dream loss

The Dream entered Tuesday’s game with strong momentum from their second unit, averaging 18.9 bench points per game on the season and an impressive 27.8 over their previous four outings — including two games with 30-plus points from reserves. Depth has been a key factor in their success this season.

But against the Dallas Wings, the Dream’s bench was quiet. The reserves registered only five points, with Naz Hillmon contributing four and Coffey adding a single free throw. The most surprising drop-off came from rookie guard Te-Hina Paopao, who was coming off her third 16-point performance of the season against the Chicago Sky on Sunday. The former South Carolina star failed to score, missing all five of her field-goal attempts, including three from beyond the arc.

“Just about every game, somebody has come in and all of a sudden, they’ve given us a spark,” Smesko said ahead of Tuesday’s game. “They’ve hit some big shots for us, made a defensive play or got the big rebound or block. … I think any really good team is going to need players like who when they’re called upon."

What’s next for the Dream

The Dream will return to action Friday when they face the Minnesota Lynx (12-2) at Gateway Center Arena. Friday’s meeting will be the first clash between the two teams.