The Atlanta Dream were down three key players, including Brittney Griner, Jordin Canada, and rookie standout Te-Hina Paopao. Then, in the first quarter, Nia Coffey went out holding her eye. But in a performance fueled by defense, depth, and heart, the Dream turned adversity into domination, beating the Connecticut Sun 79–55 in front of a roaring home crowd.
This a statement win for the Atlanta Dream, who are on a two game winning streak after defeating the Dallas Wings in yesterday’s game.
With Atlanta missing several offensive threats, Allisha Gray stepped into the spotlight. She got going early and never let up, finishing with 18 points and 7 rebounds, doing damage from all over the floor while maintaining her usual poise and defensive presence.
Nia Coffey returned from her early scare and delivered her best performance of the season. She posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, including three made threes, and gave Tina Charles all she could handle on both ends.
After the game, Coffey spoke about the team’s toughness and chemistry:
“Honestly, you know, we’re down. So I was like, ‘Quitting wasn’t an option,’ so I was like, ‘Put it back together, and I’m gonna do my best out there.’ But no, I mean, we have such a great team. We have talent, but we’re just really great people. Like, I’m—and I’m pretty sure I can say this for everyone—we’re gonna do what we need for each other. So it’s really easy coming out there and just playing with this team.”
The Dream’s defensive effort was nothing short of a clinic. Tina Charles, a future Hall of Famer who came into the game hot, was held to just 5-of-20 shooting from the field. The defensive duo of Coffey and Naz Hillmon made life miserable for her in the paint.
Hillmon, who played a season-high 29 minutes, added 7 points and 9 rebounds while anchoring the interior and boxing out relentlessly. Atlanta out-rebounded the Sun by a staggering +18 margin.
“Well, I thought, you know, a lot of those are shots Tina usually makes, so part of that is just good fortune. The other part of it is at least we were being physical and at least making every shot tough, where she had to score over us… I thought, for the most part, our posts were really physical. They made these shots a couple feet further out just because of us being physical and not letting her get real deep position.”
Maya Caldwell once again played with control and confidence. She finished with 12 points and 6 assists, while taking on the tough defensive assignment of Marina Mabrey.
“I take pride in my defense, and I know that the best players usually will be my assignment,” Caldwell said. “Mabrey’s a great shooter, she’s a great player. I was just locked in from the minute the game ended yesterday, knowing that I would have to pick her up full court and keep her from getting as many touches as she wanted.”
The Dream seemed to ride a wave of momentum after a fan hit a half-court shot for $11,000, sending the arena into a frenzy. Atlanta followed the crowd’s energy with back-to-back threes to blow the game open. They ended the third up 63–48 and never looked back.
Rookie Debut: Taylor Thierry Makes Her Mark
Another bright spot came late, when rookie Taylor Thierry made her season debut. She logged 2 minutes and 37 seconds, recorded a +5 plus-minus, and just missed a three that rimmed out—leaving the crowd gasping, ready to explode.
Coach spoke highly of her poise:
“She looked a little nervous when she first got in and was a little jumpy, but I think the second time she got in, she took a deep breath. Unfortunately, she had that three go in and out. It would have been nice for that to go down. But we know that we’re gonna need her coming up, so it’s nice that she got a little bit in.”
Maya Caldwell added:
“Taylor’s been really consistent in practice. She stays ready on the bench, and that’s not easy. She came in, got up good shots, and stayed aggressive on defense—even after sitting for a while. That’s just who she is—aggressive, consistent, and always ready.”
Next Up: The Road Ahead
With the win, the Dream improve to 3–2 on the season and head out on a crucial three-game road trip. First, they face the Los Angeles Sparks, followed by the Seattle Storm, before seeing the Connecticut Sun again in a highly anticipated rematch.
If this game showed anything, it’s that the Dream are more than the sum of their stars. When one player falls, another rises. And when the whole team locks in?
They’re dangerous.
