Every game down the stretch means something for the Atlanta Dream as they fight for the final playoff spot. “Fight” is something that they've been preaching all season, win or lose, but tonight they were able to turn it into a victory against the Dallas Wings, defeating them 107-96. It wasn't pretty in the first half, but it was the fourth quarter and overtime where the Dream turned it up, and Rhyne Howard led the way with her second 30-point game in a row.
“We’ve been in this position a lot of times before and not having the outcome that we wanted, but every time we continue to fight,” Howard said after the game. “We stay positive, and tonight just showed what we’re capable of doing and we have to keep this same energy going on.”
Howard became the third player in WNBA history to record back-to-back games with 30-plus points, five-plus two-pointers, and five-plus 3-pointers made in a game. She knows if the Dream want to make it back to the postseason for a second straight season, she's going to have to have these types of games.
“It is starting to get to that time, and I’ve only had one taste of the playoffs, so I’m looking to have more, but I know what it’s going to take and I know what I have to do to get there,” Howard said.
Dream overcome Wings with second-half comeback
The Dream were down for most of the game and were down as much as 16 points in the third quarter. It was the fourth quarter where the Dream came alive after going down 11 points when Satou Sabally hit a three-pointer with less than six minutes left in the game.
They began chipping away, getting stop after stop and executing on offense. It was when Jordin Canada got a steal off the inbound and Rhyhe Howard hit a three where they tied the game. From there, both teams went back and forth, and the Dream had a two-point lead with 20 seconds left. The Wings didn't stop fighting, and Natasha Howard knocked down a shot with 2.1 seconds left to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Dream, they weren't able to score which led into overtime, but that's when they went into another gear.
The Dream outscored the Wings 15-4 in overtime, and they were able to get an impressive win over a team that is also looking to get the final playoff spot. Head coach Tanisha Wright said the message was simple after the Dream went down 11 points late in the fourth.
“Just to keep fighting, don’t give in, let’s continue to execute. I think they did a phenomenal job of just fighting. They never put their head down and they had a next-play mentality,” Wright said after the game. “We talk a lot about next-play mentality all the time and today I think they really showed that.”
If the Dream can continue to show the fight that they did tonight, they'll be in a good position to get in the playoffs. They'll need some help from other teams as the Chicago Sky are still ahead of them, but all they can do at this moment is worry about what's in front of them. The Dream's next challenge will be against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 8, who have been rolling ever since coming back from the Olympic break.
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