On the 63rd anniversary of the speech that inspired its name, the Atlanta Dream produced a handful of historic moments — but not the result they wanted most. Atlanta’s four-game winning streak came to an end in a 101-83 loss to the Portland Fire at Gateway Center Arena, a game the Dream never got closer than five points of in the second half.
A Slow Start They Never Recovered From
The trouble started early. Atlanta turned the ball over six times in the first quarter alone and never found its footing.
“We got off to a terrible start, and it took us a long time to get going,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said.
Portland took full advantage, shooting a blistering 58.5% from the field for the game. Carla Leite led the Fire with 26 points, and Emily Engstler added 25 as Portland’s offense clicked on every level — pick-and-rolls, isolations, high screens.
“They were finding their open players, whether inside or outside,” forward Naz Hillmon said. “We didn’t make it hard.”
Atlanta trailed 52-38 at halftime after shooting just 30.8% in the first half, with too many possessions breaking down into one-on-ones or contested threes. Smesko pointed to poor decision-making as Portland loaded up defensively.
“You help us win by making good decisions,” he said.
Records Amid the Rout
Even in a lopsided loss, Atlanta’s stars kept making history.
Rhyne Howard broke the franchise’s single-season steals record, matching Leite’s game-high with 26 points of her own while setting the new mark previously held by Angel McCoughtry since 2013. Howard’s second steal of the night — her 90th of the season — sealed the record.
Angel Reese set the franchise’s single-season defensive rebounds record, breaking the mark Tina Charles set in 2024. Reese finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds for her 28th double-double of the season, and also eclipsed 1,501 career points on a second-quarter layup. Atlanta’s third steal of the second quarter also gave the team a new franchise record of 347 steals this season, breaking the mark set in 2013.
All five Dream starters reached double figures: Howard’s 26, Reese’s 16, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada with 11 apiece, and Hillmon adding 10.
“They just wanted it more, and apparently we weren’t prepared to play for the duration of the game,” Howard said. “We didn’t really do much of anything to make any of their shots hard.”
Charges That Fell Short
Atlanta had two real chances to make it a game. A Howard 3-pointer cut the deficit to 60-53 with 5:32 left in the third quarter, forcing a Portland timeout — but the Fire answered by rebuilding their lead to 74-61 heading into the fourth. A Canada three-point play pulled the Dream back within six at 82-76 with 5:52 remaining, but Portland’s shooting never cooled, and the Fire pushed the margin back to 12 with 4:40 to go.
Atlanta finished the night shooting 36.6% as a team and was outscored 50-28 in the paint.
Playoff Picture Tightens
The loss dropped Atlanta from fourth to fifth in the standings, which would put the Dream on the road against Indiana in the first round of the playoffs if the season ended today. With five games remaining, Atlanta doesn’t have much time to fix things — and the schedule isn’t offering any breathers.
“We have the No. 1 team coming in here in 48 hours, you have no choice but to move on to the next one,” Howard said.
Complicating matters further, Reese picked up her eighth technical foul of the season, which could put her availability in question. Smesko said the team plans to appeal the call.
Atlanta hosts first-place Minnesota on Sunday, looking to bounce back before the postseason arrives.
“We’ll have to have a much better performance if we’re going to win, and the goal is to win,” Smesko said. “We should be playing playoff basketball now.”
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