Lynx pull away for 96-81 win as Dream comeback falls short

The Atlanta Dream ran out of comebacks Wednesday night.

After rallying from double-digit deficits in four of the last five games, the Dream could not find another gear in a 96-81 road loss to the Minnesota Lynx. The Dream drop to 4-2 on the season while Minnesota avenged their home opener loss and improved to 5-2.

The Lynx were dominant from the opening tip, building an early 9-0 run that set the tone for the entire game. Atlanta struggled to find its footing offensively, shooting 4-of-14 from the field in the early going. Naz Hillmon kept the Dream afloat, accounting for seven of Atlanta's first nine points, but it was not enough to slow a Lynx team that shot 60% from the field for the game.

Atlanta showed signs of life in the second quarter, going on a 9-0 run to open the period and pulling even at 26-26 on a three-pointer by Sika Kone off the bench. But Minnesota steadily rebuilt its lead and took a 42-37 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter was where the game was decided. The Lynx went on a 17-5 run to open the second half, extending their lead to a point of no return. Natasha Howard was unstoppable in the period, scoring bucket after bucket in the paint off ball screens that Atlanta could not contain.

Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding seven assists. Howard finished with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds. Olivia Miles added 16 points and eight assists, while Nia Coffey contributed 14 points.

For Atlanta, Allisha Gray led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, going 5-of-8 from three-point range. Hillmon finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Angel Reese added 10 points and eight rebounds but was held to 3-of-8 shooting.

The Dream's defensive breakdowns, particularly on ball screens, were a major factor. Minnesota scored 52 points in the paint and generated easy looks throughout the night. 

Hillmon acknowledged the defensive breakdowns after the game.

"We definitely had some breakdowns in what we wanted to do in the ball screen defense, but also giving credit to Minnesota, they did a really good job of getting downhill and finding the open people," Hillmon said. "We just needed to make it harder, whether it was more pressure or more help side. That was something we corrected at the end of last game and didn't necessarily get to that point this game."

Gray was equally direct about what went wrong offensively.

"I think for us, we were just stagnant," Gray said. "We know that they play heavy ball help, and I feel like tonight we were stagnant watching one player instead of relieving the player. It was just a lot of standing tonight."

Hillmon also addressed the Dream's troubling pattern of slow starts, a habit that has forced Atlanta to rally from behind in five of its six games this season.

"You don't ever want to get down early," Hillmon said. "It does take a lot out of you because you're having to claw back and feel like you have to make sure every possession is perfect. We're definitely trying to get to that point where we're putting teams away early and not having to fight back for the win. Today that hurt us."

The Dream will look to bounce back Friday as they prepare to play Portland next.