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ATLANTA – The Atlanta Dream were once again in familiar territory. Another tight game going into the fourth quarter, where they had to find a way to win, but for the past few times, it hasn't worked out in their favor. They had a chance to right those wrongs against the Golden State Valkyries, and that's what they did, winning the game 90-81.
The Dream came into the fourth trailing 68-64, which means they had to make up some ground in order to win the game. Several players had some big plays for the Dream throughout the game, but it was one player who came alive down the stretch, and it was no other than Naz Hillmon.
Hillmon knocked down two 3-pointers in the fourth, both coming at big moments in the game, to get the Dream past the Valkyries. She knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers and finished the night with 16 points. All season, Hillmon has proved to be a key piece off the bench for the Dream, and she was a big reason for them closing out the game. After the game, Rhyne Howard was asked about Hillmon potentially being in Sixth Player of the Year conversations.
“Just the jump that she’s made being aggressive offensively looking for herself,” Howard said. “Obviously, she said it’s helping us a lot, and I’ve been telling her that for three years. For her to come out and be shooting the ball and looking to score and looking to get herself involved, it’s been really helpful.”
Before this season, Hillmon was not shooting 3-pointers, and she had only made one coming into this year. Head coach Karl Smesko has allowed her to expand her game, and it has not only helped her but also helped the team as well.
“It’s been great,” Hillmon said. “The biggest thing for me with my 3s is that it’s really helping to space out the floor for my teammates. We have some really great post players, so being able to knock down shots takes a little bit of the attention off of them. Not all of the attention because they're great post players and a presence inside. But also for our wings, people can’t double off of them or try to trap them as often if I’m knocking down my 3s. It’s great for me, but even better for my teammates.”
Dream get big fourth quarter from Naz Hillmon
The Dream have had a hard time closing out games over the past few games, but they were finally able to do the right things to win. When Smesko was asked about how they were able to lock in, he kept the answer simple.
“This won’t be a great answer, but in truth, we knocked down shots. We got open, we knocked them down,” Smesko said. “Our players just made plays down the stretch. We had some good defensive stops where we forced tough shots.
“They got good players with the ball in good positions, but we forced tough shots. And down the stretch, they didn’t go for them. We got shots, and they went down for us. Hopefully, we can build upon that; it’ll give us some confidence, and we know we’re capable of doing it. Hopefully, we’ll be good at closing out games from here on out.”
The Dream now will be on the road for the next few weeks, and they know it will be important to get wins in enemy territory.
“I think that momentum helps a lot, and these road games are going to be tough, but you have to steal those games,” Hillmon said. “It’s super important, and we need the momentum going into the All-Star break.”
