ATLANTA — The Atlanta Dream left Saturday’s matchup believing the blueprint was there.
They won the rebounding battle, collected 12 offensive rebounds and created additional possessions. But against a disciplined Golden State defense, converting those opportunities into points proved to be the difference in an 88-83 loss to the Valkyries.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 22 points, while Angel Reese delivered another strong all-around performance with 17 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Rhyne Howard added 19 points, including four three-pointers, and Jordin Canada finished with eight assists.
Golden State countered with a balanced offensive attack led by Veronica Burton’s 21 points and Gabby Williams’ 19 points, knocking down 13 three-pointers while shooting 46 percent from the field.
For Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko, the challenge wasn’t simply the first action in the offense—it was maintaining patience after Golden State disrupted it.
“They use their rim protection really well,” Smesko said. “You want to be aggressive, but you still have to have the patience and keep executing actions to create a really good shot because it’s rarely as good as you think it is initially.”
That patience became a recurring theme throughout the afternoon.
Although Atlanta generated second-chance opportunities through relentless work on the offensive glass, the Dream shot just 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc while committing 17 turnovers.
Reese said the offense continues to trust its process even when the initial play is taken away.
“We practice if one thing is taken away, just go into the next action,” Reese said. “I think we’ve been doing it. We just haven’t been hitting our shots.”
The Dream also received another encouraging effort from their bench.
Rookie center Madina Okot scored 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance in limited minutes, while Naz Hillmon continued providing energy in the frontcourt. Reese also highlighted the defensive effort from rookie Indya Nivar, saying every player has embraced their role despite the recent struggles.
“Everybody matters,” Reese said. “Every single person matters on this team. We want everybody to feel really comfortable and confident when they go out there so we can all be great together.”
Smesko echoed that belief before the game, acknowledging the growing pains that come with developing a young bench while emphasizing the long-term value of giving those players meaningful minutes.
“They’re inexperienced, but they’re extremely talented,” Smesko said. “They’re going to become great players for us.”
Despite the five-game losing streak, Atlanta’s locker room remains optimistic.
Reese said the team has leaned on one another, pointing to veteran conversations and shared experiences as they search for answers.
“Championship culture is not supposed to be easy,” Reese said. “We’re just going to have to continue to work and put our heads down. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves because nobody else feels sorry for us.”
She added that the team’s morale has remained strong.
“Losing five games in a row, it sucks,” Reese admitted. “But everybody’s spirit and morale is still up. We all stick together. We just have to get over this hump.”
With five games remaining before the All-Star break, the Dream believe there is still time to change the trajectory of their season.
Saturday’s performance showed flashes of progress, winning the rebounding battle, generating second opportunities and receiving contributions throughout the rotation, but Atlanta will need greater offensive efficiency to turn those positives into victories.
The opportunities were there.
The finish simply wasn’t.
