Dream Answer Tough Loss with Statement Win, End Skid Against Aces

LAS VEGAS — Two nights after a gut-punch loss to Indiana that Angel Reese admitted kept her up all night, the Atlanta Dream had a choice to make on the road: let it linger, or let it fuel them.

They chose the latter, and the result was a 97-82 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena that did far more than open a West Coast road trip on the right foot. It snapped a seven-game losing streak against Las Vegas, delivered a message against a likely first-round playoff opponent, and pushed the Dream’s record to 22-13 with a little more breathing room in a crowded playoff chase.

Atlanta now sits fifth in the standings, a game ahead of sixth-place New York, 1.5 games up on seventh-place Washington and 2.5 clear of eighth-place Dallas. With nine games left, every one carries weight — and this one carried a statement.

Turning the Page Fast

Reese didn’t hide how much Sunday’s loss to Indiana stung. She had a chance to be the hero and missed at the buzzer, and by her own account, sleep didn’t come easy afterward.

“I felt I let my team down in the last game,” Reese said. “So just trying to pick up where I left off and knowing they know who I am and how much I’m a competitor. So just coming out tonight and just doing whatever it takes to win was just my goal.”

She backed that up in a big way, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds for her 24th double-double of the season. It was the kind of response effort that doesn’t show up in a box score alone — Atlanta simply looked like a different team than the one that shot 40% from the field and 14.3% from three against the Fever.

A First Half That Erased Any Doubt

Whatever shooting issues plagued the Dream against Indiana were nowhere to be found in Las Vegas. Atlanta built a 52-41 halftime lead by shooting 53.1% from the field and a scorching 66.7% from three, setting the tone early and never really letting the Aces breathe.

Allisha Gray was at the center of that surge, pacing the Dream with 17 points before fouling out of the conversation for a stretch — more on that below. Rhyne Howard added her own steady push, finishing with 22 points and, in the process, moving into second place in franchise history with her 57th career game scoring at least 20 points.

“Having a win like this is going to help us when it comes down to it,” Howard said.

The Aces got a jolt of their own drama in the second quarter when head coach Becky Hammon was ejected after picking up a double technical with 5:06 left, the result of an argument over a no-call against A’ja Wilson. Atlanta led by four at the time — and simply kept building from there.

Defense Set the Tone

If the first-half shooting got the headlines, it was the defense that Howard pointed to as the real driver. The Dream held Las Vegas — a team averaging 48.4% shooting on the season — to just 39.7% from the field and 35.7% from three, while forcing 15 steals.

“When we’re really locked in on defense, when we’re getting deflections, when we’re getting steals, when we’re making them take tough shots, I think it forces us to be in a better, confident state on the other end because we’re putting them in tough positions,” Howard said.

Jordin Canada, back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s game with illness, made her presence felt on both ends and finished with 17 points, including a head-fake, left-handed layup that pushed Atlanta’s lead to 15 late in the third quarter.

Weathering the Foul Trouble, Closing It Out

Atlanta had to survive a stretch where foul trouble threatened to tilt momentum. Gray picked up her fourth foul — upgraded to a flagrant after review — with seven minutes left in the third quarter and was forced to the bench. Reese picked up her fourth to open the fourth quarter, giving the Dream three starters with four fouls apiece. Las Vegas even got a break when NaLyssa Smith fouled out trying to guard Reese with seven minutes to go.

Still, the Aces couldn’t find enough separation. A Chelsea Gray three cut Atlanta’s cushion to 83-76 with under six minutes remaining, and free throws from Wilson trimmed a 10-point Dream lead down to six with 1:46 left. But Atlanta had answers for every push — a running jumper from Gray restored an eight-point cushion, and Reese came up with a steal off Wilson that Canada turned into a layup, making it 92-82 with 1:15 to play.

From there, the Dream closed the door for good, finishing the game on a 9-0 run — Atlanta’s 12th win by double digits this season.

What It Means Going Forward

Beyond the standings boost, this was a game the Dream needed for reasons that go beyond one night. Las Vegas projects as a potential first-round playoff matchup, and Atlanta hadn’t beaten the Aces in years heading into Tuesday. Doing it on the road, and doing it one game removed from a loss that stung as much as Sunday’s did, is the kind of result a team can point back to later in the season.

“We haven’t beat Vegas in quite some time, and so being able to do it, do it in their place, doing it coming off of the loss that we felt should have been win, I think it was really big for us, and it’s going to instill a lot of confidence, especially just being the first game of this road trip,” Howard said.

The Dream will look to build on the momentum Thursday when the road trip continues in Los Angeles. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET.