Jordin Canada powered the Atlanta Dream in the first half, scoring 26 of the team’s 45 points while knocking down 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. But the Indiana Fever responded with a dominant second-half surge. Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Sophie Cunningham led the charge as they pulled away for a 99–82 win against the Dream on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
With the loss, Atlanta (12-8) dropped its first game of six straight on the road. Canada, who was limited to 4 points in the second half, led all Dream scorers with a season-high 30 points. Rhyne Howard finished with 14 points, followed by Brittney Griner with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Dream looked to regain control and rhythm in the final 10 minutes, but the Fever took over instead. After Griner scored at the rim to cut the deficit to five, Boston hit a one-legged jumper that sparked a dominant 11–2 run. The surge pushed the Fever ahead 83–69 with 5:38 left in regulation.
“We just had so many defensive breakdowns,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said postgame. “... They were getting extra possessions, and those extra possessions were turning into points just about every single time. … We had some defensive breakdowns that they made us pay for (and) they were able to extend the lead.”
Naz Hillmon hit a pair of free throws and Nia Coffey added a layup to trim the deficit to 11, but the Dream failed to find rhythm and consistency offensively down the stretch. A few possessions later, Cunningham — who finished with a double-double performance — found Mitchell wide-open in the corner for a 3 that extended Indiana’s lead to 91–77. Lexie Hull and Cunningham then added 3s within the final minute, padding Indiana’s lead and sealing the victory.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Fever outscored the Dream in paint points (40-34), second chance points (21-10), bench points (29-16) and held the advantage in assists (27-19) in the contest. Mitchell led all scorers with 25 points, followed by Boston with 19 and Cunningham with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Caitlin Clark, in only her second game back following a left groin injury that sidelined her for four games, finished with 12 points on 5-of-17 shots from the floor.
Howard returned to the court in the third quarter after logging less than three minutes in the second because of what appeared to be a left leg injury. She wasted no time making her presence felt, burying a 3-pointer to give the Dream a 52–45 lead early in the period. But Indiana answered with a 6–2 run behind key buckets from Mitchell and Boston, cutting the deficit to one.
Then, with the game tied at 60, Natasha Howard drilled her third triple of the quarter. But Mitchell answered right back with a 3 of her own, sparking a strong close to the frame for Indiana. The Fever seized momentum and carried a 69–65 lead into the fourth quarter.
Canada stayed red-hot in the second quarter, drilling a turnaround jumper to give the Dream a 32–28 lead, their largest of the half. She continued to torch the Fever from beyond the arc. But Mitchell kept the Fever within striking distance, scoring 9 of Indiana’s final 11 points in the quarter. Despite Mitchell’s play, the Dream took a 45–40 lead into halftime.
The Dream raced out to a 12–4 lead against the Fever within the first four minutes of the contest. After a timeout, the Fever answered with a 12–4 run of their own to tie the game at 16. Both teams traded buckets over the next two and a half minutes, with the Dream edging ahead 23–21 at the end of the first quarter.
The Dream will return to action Sunday at 3 p.m. ET against the New York Liberty.
Observations from Dream’s loss to Fever
Canada catches fire in first half
Entering Friday’s game, Canada managed only six made 3s this season. The Dream’s veteran floor general sprayed a half dozen in the first 20 minutes and eclipsed her previous season high in points (25) she registered against the Seattle Storm on July 3.
“I think I just caught a rhythm. … A lot of teams tend to sag off me. So just taking shots with confidence, and I was just feeling it. … I just kept shooting.”
Howard escapes injury scare
When Howard was carried off the court in the second quarter, her injury appeared to be serious. However, Smesko said the Dream star is “doing fine.”
“She (Howard) was cleared, she went back in the game,” Smesko added. “It was a scary moment. … She seems to be OK.”
Turnovers shift momentum in game
The Dream committed four turnovers in the first half as the offense flowed behind Canada’s offensive explosion. However, things were drastically different in the second half as the team finished with 14 turnovers that resulted in 20 points for the Fever.
“We were lackadaisical on a lot of things, offensively and defensively,” Canada said. “We weren’t really locked in. Coach (Smesko) talks about only playoff possessions every single time we have the ball and on the defensive end. … We were rushed. … It had nothing to do with Indiana. … We were not moving at the same pace we were moving in the first half. And I think that’s just the difference.”
Allisha Gray, Bri Jones go quiet in loss
Two of the Dream’s most reliable players this season were held to a combined 12 points on 4-of-13 shots from the floor. It marked a season low in points (6) for Gray and Jones’ second-lowest outing of the season. Jones also fouled out of the game, the first time she’s fouled out of a contest this season.
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