COLLEGE PARK, GA – The Atlanta Dream have played well against almost every team in the league this season, except one – the Las Vegas Aces. The last time these two faced off, the Dream lost by two points, and before then, they didn't play that good a game.
With the season coming down the stretch and every game becoming more important when taking the standings into consideration, this matchup could have a lot of playoff implications. The first half had all the makings of a playoff atmosphere, and then in the third quarter, A'ja Wilson happened.
The Dream scored six points in the third quarter, and they saw themselves down 13 points at one point. The Dream tried to make a comeback late in the fourth, but it was too late. The Aces had already found their rhythm, and Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to seal the deal and win 81-75.
Despite the loss, the Dream have not wavered.
“We are the best of the best,” Rhyne Howard said after the game. “When you mention the top team, you have to mention us. You have to put us there because of what we’ve done and how hard we worked to get there. We’re not in the position anymore where we talk about top teams and don’t mention ourselves.”
“We’re getting to the point when the playoffs are around the corner and there’s another gear we can get to,” Karl Smesko said. “I’m not sure if all of our players are aware of it right now, but there is another level we can get to, and we only have a couple of weeks to get there.
“This hurts right now, but it doesn't compare to the hurt when all of a sudden it’s the playoffs and we’re having one of these shooting nights and the games get away from you and you don’t advance when you have a team capable of winning the whole thing.”
Though these games hold a lot of weight, the Dream are still in a good place, as they're still in the top of the standings.
Dream fall flat in the third quarter vs. Aces
The Dream were playing a good game until the third quarter, where they weren't able to find any rhythm on offense. Defensively, they didn't have an answer for Wilson in the second half, as she scored 18 points and shot 6-for-9 from the field. Between the first half and the third quarter, Smesko believed the Aces didn't change anything up that led them to go on a big run.
“They played good defense, but I didn’t see that they were playing differently; they stuck to their game plan pretty much,” Smesko said. “I think we got a little frustrated, we missed some shots, and it kind of snowballed for us. Both teams were having trouble scoring until the last two and a half minutes of the third. They just kind of poured it on there. You’re going to go through some spells where shots aren’t falling and you just gotta find a way to get an easy basket.”
The Dream shot 4-of-24 from the 3-point line in the game, and that's not the recipe to have when trying to win a game. For the Dream, it's all about staying consistent, and that's the most important thing for them coming down the stretch of the season. Brionna Jones has been a part of teams that have made deep runs in the playoffs, and she knows what it takes.
“You gotta be locked in for 40 minutes,” Jones said. “We have some ups and downs, but we’re trying to keep that consistency throughout that entire game. The more we can be consistent for the whole 40 minutes, the better off we’re going to be.”
