It already was too late for the Dream.
With a home loss to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday and the worst record in the league, the Dream was eliminated from WNBA playoff contention.
But their opponents, the No. 8 Phoenix Mercury were looking to secure the final open playoff spot with a win Thursday night in State Farm Arena.
In a 65-58 victory, the Mercury managed just that, handing the Dream their 23rd loss of the season and 11th at home.
This playoff appearance marks the Mercury’s seventh consecutive.
Even behind back-to-back road wins at New York, No. 11, and Dallas, No. 10 last week, the Dream weren’t able to disrupt Phoenix’s post-season hopes.
The Dream shot 26 percent from the field -- an abysmal 7.7 percent in the first quarter alone behind a 6-point performance that tied the franchise’s lowest-scoring first ten minutes.
“For the most part, I thought those shots were good shots,” coach Nicki Collen said. “You didn’t get any of that bench scoring with our starters struggling to score.”
The Dream outscored Phoenix in the paint and shut Diana Taurasi completely out. They took better care of the ball than their opponents, out-rebounding Phoenix and recording fewer turnovers than the Mercury.
“I thought we did a lot of things really well on the defensive end tonight,” Collen said.
The Dream held DeWanna Bonner to nine points, and Brittney Griner shot 7-of-12.
Collen said if she had seen those stats before the game, she would have told you her team would’ve won.
“Our game plan was good,” she said. “Our ball pressure really really bothered them.”
On offense though, the Dream couldn’t convert. Off of 17 offensive rebounds, the Dream managed only five second-change baskets.
“We just didn’t do a good job of taking advantage of those offensive rebounds,” Collen said.
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