Yet another close loss.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Dream were defeated by the Chicago Sky 85-77 on Tuesday night. The Dream have been struggling since Rhyne Howard went down with an injury. The former number one pick hasn’t played in a game since June 19. The team is 1-5 without Howard as she continues to work towards a speedy recovery.
The game, held at the Gateway Center Arena, showcased two teams in the middle of the Eastern Conferences standings as they continue to compete for the playoff seeding throughout the season.
The game started with both teams demonstrating impressive offensive plays as they exchanged leads in the opening quarter. The Dream came out with high energy, led by Tina Charles, who scored eight points in the first quarter.
Allisha Gray also had a good first quarter as she had seven points while shooting 40% on her 3-pointers. Charles finished the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Gray also had 19 points and four assist. Gray was recently selected as an All-Star for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
Overall for the half, the Dream were very efficient as they shot 55.6% from the field. Despite their efforts, the Sky kept pace, ending the first half with a narrow lead of 43-41.
As the second half commenced, the Dream continued to battle fiercely. Jordin Canada contributed significantly, finishing with a nice stat line of 11 points and seven assists, and she is a huge part of why the Dream had a season-high 27 assists.
However, the Sky managed to find their rhythm, capitalizing on key turnovers and fast breaks. The Dream had 18 turnovers that led to 13 points for the Sky.
The Sky were led by their rookie sensation Angel Reese, as she recorded her 11th straight double-double. She scored 12 points and 19 rebounds to set a franchise record in rebounds. Reese will also be playing in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game. Chennedy Carter also had a huge game as she scored 26 points with six scored in the last 92 seconds.
Coach Tanisha Wright of the Dream praised the team’s effort despite the loss. “It was a tough loss for us today. I can take a lot of credit on myself in terms of probably should’ve changed some things up defensively, especially when Chennedy [Carter] was just kinda putting her head down and going. I thought in the fourth quarter we didn’t keep our composure and play poised to get the right shots and opportunities.”