No Sweet Dreams, Atlanta Beats Seattle 85-75

The Dream used a 27-15 third quarter to take control of the game.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm (16-17) did some positive things on Wednesday night against a talented Atlanta team, but it still wasn’t enough. The Dream used a 27-15 third period and a barrage of three-pointers to take down the Storm by a final score of 85-75. The two teams continued down their recent paths. It was Seattle’s sixth loss in a row and Atlanta’s sixth win in as many games.

Nneka Ogwumike led the way with a game-high 29 points on 13-23 FG. She also had nine rebounds and four assists. Unfortunately, she didn’t get much help from anyone else. Gabby Williams was the only other player who scored in double figures with 11 points. Williams also had a team-high six assists. No other player scored more than eight points (Magbegor). Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, and Erica Wheeler combined for 7-28 FG from the floor.

One big positive was that Seattle did a great job of protecting the ball. They only committed seven turnovers in the game. They also outscored Atlanta 48-36 inside the paint. Despite being badly out-rebounded, the Storm held a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points. And a 9-6 edge in fast break points.

Atlanta Dream

The Dream got big games from Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. Howard scored a team-high 25 points and had a game-high seven assists. She also knocked down 5-12 FG from beyond the arc. Gray added 22 points on an efficient 8-14 FG. She had the game’s only double-double with 11 rebounds as well.

Atlanta had more balanced scoring as four players scored in double figures for the Dream. Besides Howard and Gray, they surprisingly got 10 points from Maya Caldwell, who scored all 10 of her points in the first half. Brittney Griner came off the bench and added 11 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

The road team outshot the Storm 49% (31-63 FG) to 42% (31-74 FG), but it was their three-point shooting that was the real separator. The Dream made 46% (12-26 FG) of their shots from beyond the arc compared to 35% (6-17 FG) for Seattle. Atlanta also out-rebounded their opponents 42-26. That was more impressive because the two teams were tied at 16-16 at the end of the first half. The Dream were a +4 at the free throw line as the Storm missed six of their 13 free throws.

Game Breakdown

Rhyne Howard scored the game’s first basket. Nneka Ogwumike responded on the other end with a midrange pull-up. Skylar Diggins found Brittney Sykes in transition. Nneka Ogwumike then scored an AND1 to put Seattle ahead 7-2. Allisha Gray made a beautiful cut without the basketball for two. Then hit a difficult shot in the paint. Skylar scored on her jumper. Naz Hillmon knocked down a three, and then Brittney Griner knocked down a jumper to give the Dream a two-point lead. Gabby Williams tied the game with a hard drive to the rim and was fouled by Griner.

Erica Wheeler checked in and knocked down a three-pointer. Griner was fouled and made both free throws. After a Gabby Williams layup, Maya Caldwell knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 16-16. That started an 11-0 run by Atlanta. Griner was fouled again. After her two free throws, Caldwell banked in a three. Then Rhyne Howard hit a three-ball, forcing Coach Quinn to call a timeout. Out of the break, Seattle found Dominique Malonga down low for two. At the end of the first period, the Dream led 24-18.

Malonga scored against Brionna Jones to begin the 2nd quarter. Maya Caldwell scored again. Brittney Sykes got to the foul line and made one of two. Howard got to the rim past Malonga for two. Then Griner drilled a three at the top of the arc to give Atlanta their first double-digit lead at 31-21.

Seattle responded with a 6-0 run with a basket by Ezi Magbegor and two from Nneka Ogwumike. Allisha Gray hit another three-pointer. Caldwell made a tough shot at the rim. Skylar answered with a three-pointer. Ezi Magbegor was fouled but missed both shots. Nneka Ogwumike scored down low to cut Seattle’s deficit down to four at 36-32. Gray answered right back with an AND1.

Te-Hina Paopao scored on a fast drive to the rim. Nneka countered with a three-pointer. Seattle forced an errant pass. Brittney Sykes was fouled and made both free throws. At the end of the first half, Atlanta led Seattle 41-39. The Storm shot just under 49% (16-33 FG) and the Dream made 47% (15-32 FG). Atlanta took nine more three-point attempts and made three more than Seattle through the first 20 minutes.

After neither team could score in the first few possessions, Bri Jones scored two layups in a row by bulling her way to the rim. Then Allisha Gray scored to put the Dream ahead by eight. Seattle finally responded as Ezi Magbegor hit a three-pointer, and Nneka Ogwumike scored a layup and was fouled. Gray split two free throws. Ogwumike scored again. Seattle took a one-point lead as Brittney Sykes finished down the left lane. The Dream responded with a 6-0 run that was capped off by a forced turnover and an open three for Gray.

Rhyne Howard was fouled and made both free throws. Allisha Gray hit another three with Sykes’ hand in her face. The Dream finished the third period on a 20-5 run after Seattle briefly took the lead. Howard knocked down three three-pointers in the final 30 seconds, including two in the final four seconds. Gabby didn’t bother to come back to the ball on the inbounds pass, Howard stepped in front and sank another shot. Atlanta led 68-54 at the end of the third period.

Both teams played evenly through the first four minutes, which was bad news for Seattle since they were trailing by double digits. Ogwumike and Naz Hillmon swapped baskets down low. After a Griner basket in the paint, Tiffany Mitchell knocked down a corner three. Rhyne Howard immediately answered on the other end.

Seattle used an 8-2 run to cut the 16-point deficit down to 10, forcing Coach Karl Smesko to call a timeout. Skylar, Nneka, Gabby, and Ezi all scored during the run. Out of the timeout, Magbegor was able to block Griner, which led to a fast break layup for Ogwumike. Unfortunately, the Dream answered back with scores from Gray and Howard.

The home team was never able to get any closer than eight points. Bri Jones scored again at the rim. Erica Wheeler knocked down a three, but it was too little, too late. Naz Hillmon scored the game’s final basket as the Atlanta Dream defeated the Seattle Storm 85-75.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (16-17) rematch immediately with the Atlanta Dream (21-11) in the WNBA Canada game. It’s the first WNBA regular-season game to take place in Canada. It’ll take place on Friday, August 15th at 7:00 PM at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Atlanta has won two of the first three matchups against Seattle.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts and discussion from Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Dream. It’ll be sent exclusively to paid subscribers.

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