Atlanta Dream end five-game losing streak with 89-78 win over Seattle Storm

The Atlanta Dream had not won a basketball game in over three weeks. On Thursday night inside Gateway Center Arena, they looked like themselves again.

Allisha Gray scored 22 points, Rhyne Howard added 19 with four steals, and Angel Reese recorded her 64th career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Dream snapped a five-game losing streak with an 89-78 victory over the Seattle Storm.

The win was built on defense, specifically the ball screen defense that coach Karl Smesko said he repeated roughly 500 times in practice over the past three days.

"We went back and watched the film," Gray said after the game. "We were really poor playing ball screen defense, and we really locked in. I feel like we executed at will tonight."

The Dream led by as many as 20 points in the game and held the Storm to just 15% shooting from three-point range, with Seattle going 3-of-20 from beyond the arc. Atlanta also forced 21 turnovers, converting those miscues into 28 points.

Jordin Canada finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while helping set the tone early. She said the key was getting back to what the team does best.

"This past week, we've been very intentional about getting back to Atlanta Dream basketball and doing what works best for us," Canada said. "When we come out aggressive on the defensive end, that initiates our offense. As much as we can get stops and get out in transition, that's when we're at our best."

Atlanta led 29-19 after the first quarter and pushed the lead to 55-38 by halftime, holding the Storm to just 19 points in the second quarter.

Smesko acknowledged that his team's preparation paid off.

"The first two ball screens tonight, we gave up points, but then it got better after that," he said. "We communicated a little better. I think that's one of the reasons we forced some turnovers and got out in transition. The first half defensively was really good."

Howard was particularly disruptive, finishing with four steals. 

Seattle made a push in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to nine at one point, but Atlanta held firm. The Dream shot 88% from the free throw line — going 23-of-26 — a big improvement after the team's struggles from the line during the losing streak.

"Of course, we haven't shot the ball well from the free throw line, so we definitely have been honing in on that these last couple of days, just making sure we're taking our time," Canada said.

Natisha Hiedeman led Seattle with 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, and Dominique Malonga added 15 points and nine rebounds, but the Storm's offense never found the consistency it needed to make a real run at the Dream.

Smesko was measured in his postgame comments, keeping the focus forward with four games remaining before the All-Star break.

"It's good to be on the winning side of things," he said. "We'll try to get rested and ready, and try to start a different streak."

One note of concern: Reese picked up her seventh technical foul of the season Thursday. Under WNBA rules, her next technical will result in a one-game suspension. Reese also rolled her right ankle and was helped off the court with 1:19 remaining.

"Obviously, we don't want to go a game without Angel," Smesko said. "She was frustrated with a couple of calls. We're all aware of it, and hopefully we can push that off as far as possible."

Gray said the challenge now is sustaining what the team showed Thursday night.

"We played well tonight after a couple days off, really focusing on ball screen defense," she said. "The biggest thing is, can we do it another game, and another game, and another game? You can do it one time. We know it's effective when you do it multiple times."

Atlanta improves to 13-9 with the win. They'll face the Portland Fire Saturday at Gateway Center Arena.