The Atlanta Dream dropped a hard-fought season opener on the road to the Washington Mystics, 94–90, in a game that slipped away in the final seconds. But with Indiana on deck—and a red-hot Fever squad waiting at home—there’s no time to dwell.
After clawing back with an 11–3 fourth-quarter run fueled by Brittney Griner’s inside dominance, the Dream found themselves tied 90–90 with 34 seconds left. But a timely jumper from Mystics guard Brittney Sykes and two free throws by standout rookie Sonia Citron closed the door on Atlanta’s comeback.
Griner, making her regular-season debut in a Dream jersey, finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds—13 of those points coming in a furious fourth-quarter push. Head Coach Karl Smesko admitted postgame, “She was getting deep catches, making good moves, scoring, getting fouled… we probably should have gone to her earlier.”
That’s a note the Dream might carry into their next game—because if there’s ever a time to lean into their frontcourt firepower, it’s against a Fever team that dominated their opener.
Indiana enters Tuesday’s contest fresh off a 93–58 statement win over the Chicago Sky. Caitlin Clark recorded her first career triple-double—20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists—while All-Star Aliyah Boston added a monster double-double of her own with 19 points and 13 boards. The Fever were undefeated in the preseason and have looked every bit like a team ready to make a leap.
Atlanta and Indiana already saw each other once in the preseason—a game where the Dream came out strong but ultimately faded, resting Griner and losing Allisha Gray to an in-game injury. Still, the Dream’s early control in that matchup showed potential, even without their full arsenal in play.
“Te-Hina has had a great training camp and did really well in the exhibition. She’s earned an opportunity to be out there,” said Coach Smesko on the decision to start rookie guard Te-Hina Paopao, who finished with 7 points and 4 assists in her debut. Veteran Allisha Gray, who led the Dream with 25 points, added, “For a rookie to come in and start right away, that just speaks volumes about what type of player she is… I can’t wait to continue the season with her.”
Despite the Game 1 loss, the Dream showed flashes of offensive rhythm and grit. Brionna Jones recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds), Rhyne Howard added 11 points and 6 assists, and Nia Coffey scored 10. Five Dream players finished in double figures.
But the challenge ahead is real. Indiana has momentum, a sellout crowd expected, and arguably the biggest home-court advantage in the league right now. Atlanta will need to clean up its defensive lapses and capitalize earlier with Griner as a focal point.
“Defensively, we just made too many mistakes… we’ve spent more time on offense and it showed today,” said Smesko after the opener. Brionna Jones emphasized the importance of consistency: “It came down to one possession at the end, but it’s the little things we can control throughout the game.”
Tuesday will be a chance for redemption—and a major test. Can the Dream shake off a narrow loss and find a rhythm that runs through BG, challenges Indiana’s interior defense, and contains the Caitlin Clark-Aliyah Boston duo?
One thing is certain: this early-season showdown is circled on the calendar. And the Dream have every reason to believe they can flip the script.
Photos provided by Atlanta Dream Media
