Dream slam door on Sun, tighten grip on playoff chase

Rhyne Howard shook off a quiet first half and carried the Dream when it mattered most.

Held to only three points on 1-of-4 shooting before the break, the three-time All-Star erupted for 20 points in the second half — including 11 in the fourth quarter — to power the Dream past the Connecticut Sun 93-76 on Monday afternoon.

The Dream (26-14) notched their second win against Connecticut this season and extended their win streak to three games since losing to the Las Vegas Aces last week.

The Dream now have won seven of their past 10 to keep their push for the WNBA’s No. 2 playoff seed alive.

Clinging to a one-point lead to start the fourth, the Dream found the separation they were looking for. A 6-2 spurt, capped by Howard’s putback, stretched the advantage to 73-68. After a timeout, Tina Charles answered inside for Connecticut, but the Sun never drew any closer.

Naz Hillmon’s layup pushed the Dream ahead 78-74 with only over four minutes left, and that’s when the Dream slammed the door. Howard drilled a 3-pointer, then Jordin Canada took over with a 4-0 burst that ballooned the margin to 87-74.

Howard and Hillmon tacked on the final baskets to secure the win as the Dream closed strong to put the game out of reach.

“I think it’s good for us to have that type of environment going into the playoffs,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “We needed to have a really good fourth quarter to come out of here with the win. … I think the more, you know, pressure possessions you can have going in to the playoffs are important.”

Howard paced the Dream with 23 points — her 10th game this season topping the 20-point mark — while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals. She had plenty of help, as four other Dream players scored in double figures.

Naz Hillmon made 5 of 7 from beyond the arc on her way to 17 points, and Allisha Gray matched her total with 17 of her own while going a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line. Jordin Canada, back on the floor after missing eight games with a hamstring injury, delivered 15 points, including eight in the decisive fourth quarter, and chipped in a steal, a block and an assist.

“My main focus was just defense, just trying to make sure I was doing my job and pushing the pace,” Canada said. “The second half, I (was) just (trying) to be a little more aggressive. … Once I got comfortable, carried on as normal, just trying to give myself grace of coming back and knowing that it’s going to take some time.”

Brionna Jones anchored the Dream inside, posting her 11th double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The four-time All-Star, who joined the Dream this season, had collected 12 double-doubles across her career before arriving in Atlanta.

Connecticut built a seven-point cushion early in the third when Leïla Lacan swiped a steal, sprinted the length of the court and finished a layup to make the score 51-44. The quarter turned into a back-and-forth exchange, but the Sun held a slim edge after Lacan scored on consecutive trips and Aaliyah Edwards powered in a bucket for a 64-60 lead.

But the Dream clawed back from the line. Canada and Howard each made a pair of free throws to pull the team even at 64. Moments later, Canada drove hard to the rim, hitting a leaning acrobatic jumper and completed the three-point play to give the Dream a 67-64 advantage.

However, the Sun had the final say in the frame. Saniya Rivers raced the floor in the closing seconds, finishing a layup just before the shot clock expired to trim the deficit to 67-66 heading into the fourth.

Jones gave the Dream their biggest cushion of the first half — seven points — by drilling a turnaround jumper and sinking two free throws to push the lead to 35-28 with 6:06 left in the second quarter.

But the Sun refused to back down.

Coming out of a timeout, Connecticut cranked up the defensive pressure, forcing the Dream to get out and defend in transition and disrupting the team’s rhythm while storming back with a 10-3 run. Rivers capped the surge with a midrange jumper to knot the score at 38.

The momentum only grew. With the score tied at 42, Lacan drilled a 3-pointer and Charles muscled in a contested shot over Brittney Griner — plus the foul — to complete a three-point play. That burst sent the Sun into halftime up 48-42.

The Sun dominated the Dream in the paint with a 28-10 scoring edge and blistered the nets, shooting 62.5% from the floor in the second quarter while the Dream cooled off at 35.7% from the field.

The Sun came out swinging, showing no fear against the Dream in the opening quarter. Connecticut pounded the paint early, racing to a 13-9 lead as Marina Mabrey and Lacan sliced through the defense for layups.

However, the Dream answered back. After trailing 19-16 following a layup from Rivers, the Dream flipped the momentum with a 7-0 run.