Credit: AP
Allisha Gray exited to a standing ovation with 2:06 remaining as the Atlanta Dream cruised past the Washington Mystics 99-83 on Sunday afternoon at Gateway Center Arena.
The Dream (18-11) have now won three in a row and four of their last five games. Brionna Jones led the Dream with 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, five rebounds and two steals while Gray – who eclipsed 400 career 3-pointers in the contest – added 22. Naz Hillmon posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
Jordin Canada scored 16 points and dished out nine assists and Nia Coffey chipped in a season-high 13 points. Atlanta shot 56.5% from the field and improved to 8-3 when five players score in double figures.
The Dream finished plus-10 against the Mystics in paint points (54-44), and they outscored Washington in bench points (22-10), fastbreak points (15-4), second chance points (16-13) and points off turnovers (33-20), despite a slow start in the first quarter.
Dream coach Karl Smesko credited the Mystics’ defensive pressure and energy as the reason for his team’s sluggish start.
“They (Mystics) came out with a lot of energy,” Smesko said postgame. “… I think we weren’t quite ready for the amount of pressure they were going to put on us. …Once we got adjusted to it, I thought we got a lot of good shots. …We still had turnovers, but we had a lot of good shots and a lot of good ball movement and a lot of people contributing.”
Kiki Iriafen led the Mystics in scoring with 22 points and five rebounds. Shakira Austin and Sonia Citron added 16 respectively while Sug Sutton scored 13 in the loss.
The Mystics trimmed the deficit to 12 with 6:14 left in regulation on two free throws from Austin but couldn’t get closer. Coffey and Canada combined for 18 points in the fourth to help Atlanta pull away.
Hillmon drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to push the Dream’s lead to 47-41. Iriafen and Citron responded with inside scoring to keep the Mystics close but the Dream maintained control. Leading 57-50, Hillmon grabbed three offensive rebounds on a single possession before finding Canada, who fed Gray for a cutting layup.
Jones, who had five points at halftime, scored nine in the third to finish the quarter with 14. Gray added eight as the Dream took a 70-61 lead into the fourth.
The Dream bounced back from a labored first quarter with a strong second, using defense to spark a 10-2 run late in the half. Te-Hina Paopao knocked down a clutch 3-pointer from the right wing, Canada converted a three-point play and then followed with a steal and fast-break layup to give the Dream their first lead, 38-37, with 51 seconds left.
Gray added a key steal and found Hillmon in transition for a layup, giving the Dream a 40-39 lead at halftime. The Dream forced nine second-quarter turnovers and scored 21 points off Washington’s 16 first-half miscues. The Dream committed only four turnovers in the second quarter.
The Mystics opened Sunday’s game with a 10-0 run, dominating the paint early behind scoring from Citron, Sykes and Iriafen. The Dream didn’t get on the scoreboard until Gray hit two free throws at the 5:14 mark of the first quarter.
A few possessions later, Paopao checked in and gave the Dream a much-needed spark, bringing energy and poise that helped steady the game. She finished with seven points.
“…When she (Paopao) came in, the pace picked up. All of a sudden, we got out in transition. We got a couple easy or easier baskets in transition and suddenly our defensive intensity picked up. That led to forcing turnovers, which gave us more opportunities in transition, which also got the crowd involved.”
Gray scored Atlanta’s first six points, including its first field goal, which cut the deficit to 16-6 with 2:53 left in the period. The Mystics led the Dream 23-12 after the first frame, capitalizing on nine Dream turnovers that led to 10 points.
The Dream return to action Thursday at 8 p.m. ET when they host the Chicago Sky.
