Dream continues winning ways in 85-75 victory over Storm

Still shaking off the rust in just her second game back from a left knee injury, Rhyne Howard eased into Wednesday’s matchup with seven first-half points. But the three-time All-Star erupted after halftime, finishing with 25 points on 5-of-12 shooting from deep.

Her biggest punch came in the third quarter, when she rattled off nine straight points in 30 seconds, flipping the game’s momentum and propelling the Dream to an 85-75 win over the Storm.

Howard buried a pull-up 3 early in the fourth to push the Dream’s lead to 16. Seattle answered after a jumper from Nneka Ogwumike sparked an 8-2 run, trimming the gap to 77-69 with just over three minutes left.

The Storm twice pulled within 10 and cut it to 83-75 when Erica Wheeler hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining. But Howard delivered the dagger, threading a pass to a cutting Naz Hillmon for the final basket to seal the victory for the Dream.

The Dream opened the third quarter cold, going nearly two minutes without a bucket before Brionna Jones banked in a shot and added another as part of a 6-0 run for a 47-39 lead. Seattle stayed quiet until Ezi Magbegor buried a 3-pointer nearly four minutes in. Moments later, Brittney Sykes sliced through the lane for a layup, giving the Storm their first lead of the half, 49-48.

However, the Storm’s edge didn’t last. With the Dream clinging to a five-point lead late in the third quarter, Howard took over. She torched Seattle with a personal 9-0 run — three straight 3-pointers, including one off a steal — to blow the game open. Her outburst turned a tight contest into a 68-54 Atlanta lead heading into the fourth.

Brittney Griner hit a 3-pointer — her fifth of the season — to give the Dream their largest lead, 31-21, early in the second quarter. But the Storm responded with Skylar Diggins draining a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to six.