Despite first loss, Dream feel they have bright outlook
The Dream may have fallen to the Aces by one point Sunday afternoon, but the outlook for the season remains bright.
Three games into the 2026 campaign, the Dream look like a team that can build off last season’s historic effort, which saw them win a franchise-record 30 regular-season games.
The Dream flashed resiliency Sunday. They erased a 19-point deficit, taking an 81-80 lead over the reigning WNBA champion Aces with 2:16 to play in the fourth quarter.
Though they eventually fell to the Aces 85-84, it showed why they ranked third in the WNBA in defensive efficiency. They held the Aces, who entered Sunday’s game averaging 23.3 points in the fourth quarter per game, to just 10.
They executed that gutsy rally all while short-handed. WNBA All-Stars Rhyne Howard (concussion protocol) and Brionna Jones (knee) both missed the action.
“I’m proud of how we competed,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said after Sunday’s game. “And I think we have a lot of room for improvement, which is really exciting for what we’re capable of doing, but obviously that doesn’t make us feel any better in this particular area.”
One of those areas is the team’s production in the second unit, which took a hit with Howard and Jones sidelined.
The Dream started second-year guard Te-Hina Paopao, who scored a career-high 19 points, in place of Howard.
Jones has not been able to suit up for the Dream so far this season after undergoing surgery for a right knee injury. She suffered a meniscus tear in late January while playing overseas during the WNBA offseason.
The Dream has leaned on forward Naz Hillmon in the starting five as Jones recovers.
The team did get a boost from its rookies. Madina Okot accounted for all of the scoring in the second unit, finishing with her first career double-double: 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Okot showed little fear, especially in the second half, of matching up against the champs. The 21-year-old attacked the rim, going straight up even when faced with a double-team.
Fellow rookie Indya Nivar sparked the Dream’s defensive stand in the final 13 minutes of the game. Her energy helped the Dream go on a 9-1 run at the end of the third quarter as she flew around the court, disrupting their dribbles and closing off lanes to the basket.
“I thought (Indya) was outstanding,” Smesko said. “And then I think everybody can see what Madina is capable of becoming.
“I really do think that she’s going to end up being one of the best players in this league. She has that type of ability. She’s still learning, but to see what she can do at this point is pretty impressive.”
Of course, the Dream continued to have strong performances from All-Star Allisha Gray, who finished with 25 points and nine rebounds. Gray put her head down in the second half and played through the Aces’ contact and got to the line.
The Dream’s resiliency has pushed them to win two of their first three games of the season, all of which have included the erasure of deficits.
The team came back from a 19-point deficit in its season opener against the Lynx on the back of its defense. Then it beat the Wings after trailing by as many as 10 points.
“Obviously, we don’t want to live in a situation where we’re having to battle back from 19 down,” Smesko said. “But I do like that we just keep playing and that we have a lot of belief that we can get back in these games if we just start executing a little better.
“To be playing a championship-level team and have the lead in the final minute on a day where we really didn’t shoot it that well — or free throws, 3s, anything — we just competed and found a way to give us a chance at the very end. And, as we know, we came up to possession short.”
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