Atlanta Dream fall to defending champion Las Vegas Aces 85-84 in heartbreaking home opener
The Las Vegas Aces escaped Atlanta with an 85-84 win Sunday, as Chelsea Gray hit the go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds left to spoil the Dream's sold-out home opener at State Farm Arena.
With 36 seconds left and Atlanta trailing by one, Jordin Canada pounced on an A'ja Wilson turnover, drove the length of the floor and converted a running layup to give the Dream an 84-83 lead. But Gray answered with a 12-foot pullup jumper in the lane with 3.6 seconds remaining to put Las Vegas back on top 85-84. On Atlanta's final possession, Gray stripped Allisha Gray of the ball and time expired.
The Dream were without All-Star guard Rhyne Howard, who missed her first game of the season due to a concussion.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting and nine rebounds. In her first start of the season, Te-Hina Paopao added 19 points, going 4-of-9 from three-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in 36 minutes. Madina Okot came off the bench to post 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds in 16 minutes. It was the rookie's first career double-double.
"She was getting rebounds, making defensive plays, making good decisions. I thought she was outstanding," Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. "She has that type of ability; she's still learning, but to see what she can do at this point was pretty impressive."
Angel Reese finished with nine points on 1-of-8 shooting, eight rebounds and eight turnovers. Canada added 11 points, five assists and a game-high seven steals.
Atlanta trailed 51-44 at halftime after outrebounding Las Vegas but committing 10 turnovers to the Aces' five. Las Vegas then opened the third quarter on a 19-8 run, extending the lead to 18 and pushing the score to 70-52 with just under four minutes remaining in the period.
Atlanta rallied in the fourth quarter. Okot scored four straight points to cut the deficit to six, Naz Hillmon converted a running layup to make it 81-77, and Paopao hit a three-pointer with 2:16 remaining to pull Atlanta within one, setting the stage for Canada's go-ahead layup before Gray's decisive jumper ended Atlanta's comeback.
Chelsea Gray finished with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds for Las Vegas. Chennedy Carter added 20 points off the bench. A'ja Wilson contributed 20 points and six rebounds despite four turnovers.
Overall, Smesko said he was pleased with his team's effort, stating after the game that the Dream played "a championship-level team and had the lead in the final minute."
"We really didn't shoot that well from three, and we just competed and found a way to give ourselves a chance," Smesko said.
Atlanta shot 5-of-23 from three-point range. Las Vegas shot 10-of-27. The Dream also went 25-of-37 from the free throw line, leaving points on the board in a one-point game.
Atlanta falls to 2-1 on the season. Las Vegas improves to 4-1. The two teams meet again Aug. 3 at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park.
