Balanced Attack Propels Dream to Important Road Win

A balanced attack carried the Atlanta Dream to their fourth consecutive win Monday night, a 95-84 road victory over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center that puts Atlanta in prime position to lock up home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The Dream can clinch that home-court edge with one more win in New York on Wednesday in the regular-season finale. Atlanta trails third-place Las Vegas by just half a game and holds a game-and-a-half cushion over fifth-place Indiana, with both the Aces and Fever having two games left to play.

“Big win for us,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said. “I think the biggest thing is that we had everybody contribute and play well, and to be able to win a road game in a playoff-type atmosphere, that’s as close to a playoff type game without being in the playoffs. So, the intensity was there.”

Balanced Scoring, Historic Milestones

Five Dream players reached double figures, and two of them made history in the process.

Rhyne Howard became the youngest player in WNBA history to hit 500 career 3-pointers, drilling her second triple of the night in the fourth quarter. At 26 years old and in just her 178th career game, Howard set the mark in fewer games than anyone in league history. She finished with 16 points.

Jordin Canada punched her own place in the record book, becoming just the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 300 assists in a single season. Fittingly, the milestone assist came on the Dream’s very first basket of the game — a layup from Angel Reese. Canada led all scorers with 19 points.

Reese notched her 31st double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner, still finding her footing since joining the Dream, delivered her best performance yet with 17 points, and Allisha Gray added 14.

“When you’re playing New York, you’re going to need a lot of people to contribute,” Smesko said. “I think everybody had their moments. I thought DB was really big for us. She added that extra scoring punch, and not only that she made some defensive plays.”

Third-Quarter Surge Sealed It

After a tightly contested first half, Atlanta pulled away in the third quarter, scoring 32 points on 60% shooting to take a 73-62 lead into the fourth. New York never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

“We wanted to wear them down as much as we could,” Reese said.

Looking Ahead

The Dream return to Barclays Center Wednesday for their regular-season finale against the Liberty, with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs on the line.