September 16, 2024
Atlanta Dream keep playoff hopes alive with gritty victory
Tina Charles: 'The goal was to win by any means necessary'
As the Atlanta Dream battled back from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Dallas Wings in overtime on Sept. 6, head coach Tanisha Wright made it clear that her team was in a battle for its playoff lives. Now, 10 days later, that motivating force remains in effect for Atlanta, a team currently in a three-way fight with the Chicago Sky (13-25) and the Washington Mystics (13-25) for the eighth and final spot in this year’s WNBA playoffs.
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The Dream (13-25) entered Sunday’s game against the Mystics with their backs against the wall, facing a win-or-go-home contest to prolong their postseason hopes. Despite coming off three consecutive losses — to the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx and the Mystics — heading into Sunday, Atlanta remained alive in the postseason hunt, defeating Washington 76-73 in a down-to-the-wire overtime finish at Entertainment & Sports Arena.
Sunday’s win, one that included eight ties and nine lead changes, marked the third overtime contest for the Dream in their last five games and necessitated multiple acts of pesky defense, timely rebounds, clutch shooting and converting free throws to pull off the victory.
After shooting a dismal 28.8% from the floor and allowing the Mystics’ bench trio of Brittney Sykes (20), Ariel Atkins (10) and Stefanie Dolson (13) to combine for 43 of their 72 points in Friday’s loss, the Dream held Sykes to six points off 2-for-9 shooting despite Washington maintaining its mammoth advantage in bench points (38-6).
“We just had big fight,” Wright said after Sunday’s win. “We trusted what we wanted to get accomplished defensively, taking away their guards and not letting them get easy looks. … We did well getting deflections … and we ended the game with 13 steals.”
But beyond a strong defensive performance, no player’s outing was more important than Dream forward Naz Hillmon. Hillmon finished with a solid 10 points and six rebounds, but two shots changed the game. First, she sank a spot-up jumper with 30 seconds to play in regulation on an assist from Tina Charles, which proved enough to force overtime. Then, she buried a long two that gave Atlanta a 74-73 advantage with its season hanging in the balance. The Dream held that lead for the remaining 95 seconds in overtime to walk away with the victory.
“I would always say I trust and believe [in Naz] once she was inserted into the starting lineup,” Charles said. “I always see her taking those shots. … She had huge confidence and it was what we needed.”
With two games left before the regular season ends on Thursday, Atlanta controls its destiny: win both games, and they’re in the playoffs. The Dream will need consistency and more resilience on offense and defense from its stars and supporting cast to earn back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
Here are four takeaways from the Dream’s win against the Mystics:
Naz Hillmon’s confidence, impact in starting lineup
Although Hillmon will never be considered the franchise player for the Dream, her role on this team is unmatched and has been on full display in the Dream’s last eight games. Following the Olympic break, Hillmon has registered six or more rebounds in 10 of the Dream’s 14 games, including the second double-double — 10 points, 11 rebounds — of her career in Friday’s loss.
After the loss to Washington on Friday, the 6’2 forward was frustrated with herself for missing key shots that she typically makes in the paint and around the court. But on Sunday, she was prepared for the moment, something Atlanta will need from her in its final two games this week.
“We kept talking about her preparation and understanding that sometimes the games happen like that and having short term memory,” Wright said. “When the opportunities came [to score], she didn’t hesitate.”
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Tina Charles’ consistency
Stop me if you’ve heard the words consistency and brilliance used to describe Charles. On Sunday, the former MVP registered her 19th double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Even more, she is now only one double-double shy of passing Sylvia Fowles (193) for the most in WNBA history and holds Atlanta’s franchise record for the most double-doubles in a single season, passing Érika de Souza’s 18 in 2013.
But, as she shared with reporters after the win, the veteran center is solely focused on winning and earning a berth into the postseason. In the Dream’s last 14 games, Charles has tallied 10 double-digit rebound outings while playing just under 30 minutes per game.
“The goal [on Sunday] was to win by any means necessary,” Charles said. “With the minutes I play, I think it’s necessary to go out there and dominate the glass and [be] efficient.”
Defense sets the tone
All season, Coach Wright has stressed the importance of quality defense and finishing games strong. During the first half of the season, the Dream struggled to finish games in the final minutes with multiple changes to the starting lineups due to injuries.
Since the start of the second half of the season, the Dream currently sit at No. 5 in defensive rating (98.8), second in defensive rebound percentage (75.7%), fourth in opponents points off turnovers (13.4 per game) and first in opponents second chance points (8.9 ppg).
On Sunday, with its season on the line, Atlanta held Washington to 20% shooting from the floor in overtime and held the Mystics to 14 assists on 23 made field goals in the victory, well below Washington’s season average of 21.7 assists per game.
What’s next for the Dream?
The Dream will face the Sky at home on Tuesday, followed by their season finale on the road against the league-leading New York Liberty (31-7) on Thursday. Lose to Chicago on Tuesday and the Dream’s season will end on Thursday.
Washington will play its final two games this week against the Liberty on Tuesday and the Fever on Thursday. After facing the Dream, the Sky will face the Connecticut Sun in their season finale.
As the race for the No. 8 spot intensifies this week, veteran guard Jordin Canada told reporters that she and her teammates will be ready for the moment like they were on Sunday.
“We knew we needed to win,” Canada said. “We have to continue to fight. … There are no drop offs with any team in this league.”
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Written by Wilton Jackson
Wilton Jackson II covers the Atlanta Dream and the SEC for The Next. A native of Jackson, Miss., Wilton previously worked for Sports Illustrated along with other media outlets. He also freelances for different media entities as well. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in multimedia journalism (broadcast) before earning a Master's degree in mass communication from LSU and a second Master's degree in sport management from Jackson State University.
