Atlanta’s slide is over — and it was the defense that ended it.
The Dream shut Seattle down from the opening tip, turning a night of steals and stops into an 89-78 win over the Storm on Thursday at Gateway Center Arena. It’s Atlanta’s first win in five games, and it came the way head coach Karl Smesko’s teams are built to win: by forcing chaos.
The Defense Was the Story
Atlanta racked up 14 steals for the third straight game — a run no team in the WNBA has put together since 1997. Seattle turned the ball over 23 times, and Atlanta cashed those turnovers in for 28 points.
Guard Jordin Canada said the team spent the past week getting back to its identity, leaning on aggressive defense to fuel everything else. That mindset showed immediately: the Dream built a 55-38 halftime lead off 15 first-half Seattle turnovers worth 19 points, then protected it into the fourth quarter by out-rebounding the Storm by six in the third.
Reese Anchors Another Double-Double
Angel Reese set the tone early and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds — her 15th double-double of the season and 63rd of her career, the most by any player through their first three WNBA seasons. Smesko credited her aggressiveness in the first quarter for getting Atlanta off to a fast start.
The one lingering question: Reese appeared to roll her ankle late in the fourth quarter after landing on a Seattle player’s foot. Smesko had no update on her status postgame.
A Full Team Effort
Reese had help everywhere. Allisha Gray led all scorers with 20 points and five assists, Rhyne Howard added 19 points and four steals, and Canada finished with 11 points and seven assists. Naz Hillmon, making her first start in four games after coming off a minutes restriction, chipped in seven points and three steals.
Seattle’s Late Push Falls Short
The Storm made one real run at it, cutting the lead to eight, 84-76, on a Flau’jae Johnson steal and free throws with under three minutes left. Canada answered right away, hitting two free throws after being fouled to push the margin back to 10. Seattle turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions down the stretch, and even though Atlanta couldn’t push the lead further after Reese drew a foul on an offensive rebound, the Dream (13-9) ran the clock and closed it out on a late Canada free throw for the 11-point final margin.
“We tried to come together and make sure we were valuing our possessions,” Canada said of the team’s mindset in the closing minutes.
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