The Atlanta Dream wanted to look like a different team Sunday afternoon. From the opening tip, they did. Atlanta attacked the Minnesota Lynx with pace, physicality and defensive pressure, built a lead as large as 20 points and withstood a second-half push to secure an 89-81 victory heading into the break. The win was powered by three double-doubles, a historic night for Angel Reese, another milestone-filled performance from Allisha Gray and the Dream debut of DeWanna Bonner.
After Atlanta’s previous game, head coach Karl Smesko took responsibility for not having his team prepared to play with enough urgency from the beginning. Against Minnesota, the response was immediate. Angel Reese scored eight quick points and grabbed four rebounds before the first quarter reached its midpoint, while Gray poured in 11 points in the opening period. Atlanta led 26-21 after one and then outscored Minnesota 26-20 in the second to take a 52-41 advantage into halftime.
“I think we showed up at the beginning of the game as a different team,” Smesko said. “You saw a different pace, a different energy about us right from the beginning.”
Atlanta Punched First
The Dream’s early success wasn’t simply a product of making shots. Atlanta dictated how the game was played. The Dream pushed in transition, moved the basketball quickly and forced Minnesota to operate under pressure. Atlanta recorded 16 assists on 19 first-half field goals and forced 11 turnovers before halftime.
“We just had to come out with a different mindset,” Smesko said. “We needed to get on the attack. We needed to put them on their heels.”
The ball movement was particularly encouraging for Smesko after he had been unhappy with Atlanta’s decision-making in the previous game.
“At the beginning of the game, we moved it to the right person, and the open person got the ball,” Smesko said. “That makes such a big difference, and it got us off to a really good start.”
Jordin Canada saw the same transformation.
“We had a terrible loss last game, and we wanted to come out with a lot of energy, and I think we did just that,” Canada said. “When we play this type of basketball, I think we’re one of the best teams out there.”
Minnesota Made Atlanta Finish the Job
Atlanta’s intensity eventually helped the Dream build a 20-point advantage, but the game changed when Atlanta became careless with the basketball. After committing only five turnovers in the first half, the Dream began giving possessions away with unforced mistakes, providing Minnesota with opportunities to get back into the game.
The Lynx weren’t going away quietly.
Minnesota trimmed Atlanta’s advantage to 71-62 by the end of the third quarter and continued threatening in the fourth. But when the game began tightening, Rhyne Howard delivered. After doing much of her early work defensively, Howard knocked down crucial shots that helped Atlanta restore separation.
“Minnesota’s not going to just go away,” Smesko said. “They made a run at us, and I thought Rhyne hit a couple big threes when it was getting close to kind of get that lead over double figures again.”
Howard finished with 16 points, three assists, two steals and a block, giving Atlanta four starters in double figures.
Three Double-Doubles and a Historic Night
Atlanta’s stars didn’t merely produce points. For the first time since Sept. 9, 2020, three Dream players recorded double-doubles in the same game.
Gray led Atlanta with 23 points, a season-high 11 rebounds, two assists and three steals. She also knocked down a season-high six three-pointers, including the 500th three-pointer of her WNBA career, becoming the 25th player in league history to reach that mark. Her third steal gave her 400 for her career, while the performance marked her 12th career double-double and first of the season.
Canada finished with 16 points and 10 assists, recording her seventh double-double of the season and ninth with Atlanta. She also reached double-digit assists for the ninth time this season.
Then there was Reese.
Reese finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, securing her 29th double-double of the season and moving into sole possession of the WNBA record for the most double-doubles in a single season.
Smesko called the accomplishment “incredibly impressive,” but Canada offered perhaps the more colorful description of what it is like watching Reese dominate the glass every night.
“Angel being the beast that she is on the boards, it’s just amazing to see the things that she does day in and day out, every single game,” Canada said. “I have never seen anything like it, to be honest, and I’m glad she’s on our team.”
Bonner’s Dream Debut Offers a Glimpse of What’s Coming
While Atlanta’s established stars carried much of the statistical load, one of the afternoon’s most intriguing developments was DeWanna Bonner’s first appearance in a Dream uniform.
Bonner finished with seven points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. There were moments when it was apparent she was still learning Atlanta’s system, with teammates providing instructions on positioning during live action. But there were also flashes of exactly why her addition could become important in the postseason.
Her length immediately changed Atlanta’s defensive possibilities. On one possession, Bonner used her veteran instincts to break through for a steal before taking the ball the other direction and scoring.
“Her length gives her an opportunity to guard multiple positions, gives you the ability to switch more things,” Smesko said.
Perhaps most remarkable is how much Bonner was able to contribute despite Atlanta not yet having the opportunity to fully teach her its defensive system.
“We went over a game plan for how we were going to guard Minnesota, but we haven’t even really gone over our defensive principles yet,” Smesko said. “She gave us a calming presence out there. It was great to see her out there in a Dream uniform, and I think you can see that she’s going to be a big benefit to us down the stretch.”
Canada pointed to something beyond Bonner’s box-score production.
“DB coming in, her voice, as soon as she got here, using her voice and that vet leadership is something that we definitely needed to give us that edge,” Canada said.
A Win That Shows Atlanta’s Ceiling
Minnesota entered the matchup as the type of opponent Atlanta knows it could see when the stakes are highest. The Dream didn’t play a perfect 40 minutes. Their second-half turnovers provided a reminder that maintaining discipline will be critical in the postseason. But their response after the previous game may have been even more important than the final margin.
Atlanta demonstrated what happens when its defensive intensity, pace and ball movement arrive at the opening tip.
“We knew coming into today, this is not the type of team you want to play around with,” Canada said. “We knew we had to come out with a different intensity, a different mindset, different energy, and that’s what we did.”
The Dream will now enter the extended break with an opportunity to integrate Bonner further and refine their approach for the postseason. Smesko said Atlanta will resist trying to fix everything at once and instead identify the three or four areas that can have the greatest impact when the playoffs arrive.
“We’ll really hit the things that we think will be most impactful for the end of the season and into the playoffs,” Smesko said.
Atlanta leaves this one with an 89-81 win, three double-doubles, another WNBA record for Reese, several career milestones for Gray and its newest veteran already contributing.
More importantly, the Dream leave with evidence that the version of themselves they have been searching for is there.
As Canada put it: “When we play this type of basketball, I think we’re one of the best teams out there.”
