Allisha Gray #15 of the Atlanta Dream drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Sky on July 7, 2023 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Atlanta outscored Chicago 23-10 in the game’s fourth quarter.

By: Mason Williams

CHICAGO – After a fourth straight victory, head coach Tanisha Wright’s Atlanta Dream showed they can be an elite team and had a 23 point fourth quarter to prove it.

As the mid-quarter entertainment blared over the loudspeakers inside Wintrust Arena on Friday night, the Dream were provided with 10 minutes and an opportunity as the contest entered its final phase. A game of runs up to that point, Atlanta and the host Chicago Sky found themselves in a one-point game – the Dream holding a 59-58 advantage.

Though, to prove you’re the type of team you say you are, Wright says, you have to show it. In the ensuing moments, Atlanta did just that.

First, a three from Allisha Gray. Then, Rhyne Howard. Suddenly a one-point lead was seven, and the Dream had momentum. Before Chicago could stop the bleeding, Atlanta’s lead had ballooned to 74-59 – opening the quarter on a 15-1 run.

“I think in the fourth quarter, our conversation was like, ‘If you want to be an elite team, you got to show you’re an elite team by going out and doing that,’” Wright said following the contest. “I thought they did a really good job in that fourth quarter of showing that we’re making our way up there.”

Atlanta (9-8) would go on to outscore Chicago (8-10) 23-10 in the final 10 minutes, notching an 82-68 victory over the Sky. It’s Atlanta’s fourth straight victory, the longest such streak this season for the Dream.

“We’re not there yet, but we certainly are climbing a ladder,” Wright continued, “so I’m happy with that.”

The team benefitted from Allisha Gray’s second consecutive 20-plus point performance. Her knack for making winning plays and being Atlanta’s best two-way player continued to show why she earned her WNBA All-Star selection.

“For me, my defense has to get started and it helps on the offensive end,” Gray said afterward. “With me being locked in defensively, it gives me the energy to play on the offensive end as well.”

“It’s huge, Allisha is super consistent for us,” Wright said. “She always seems to make the plays when we need it. When another team – like tonight – they’re making a run, (she) ends up making the shot to kind of quiet that run.”

She wasn’t alone in her efforts, though. On a night where Wright admits she might’ve relied too heavily on her starters, the spark Naz Hillmon provided off the bench was crucial in the result as well.

“Naz did phenomenal today,” Wright said. “She did exactly what we’ve been asking her to do: be aggressive when she has opportunities to be aggressive.”

Cheyenne Parker turned in another All-Star caliber performance with her fifth double-double of the season, Rhyne Howard’s 17 points helped propel the offense and Danielle Robinson’s fingerprints were all over the victory as well – likely her best outing of the season thus far.

Wright sees the flashes of sustained success but cautions it with knowing there’s still more progress to be made. Atlanta’s focus is on consistency.

“I believe that if we have consistency in terms of what we’re asking them to do, then the wins will come,” Wright said. “We talked about playing hard, playing smart and playing together and I think the last few games, we’ve been consistent and just doing those things. As a result, winning has come.”

As the WNBA season nears its halfway point, Atlanta is firmly in the mix thanks to those same principles that have fueled this run. The Dream aim to continue their winning ways by taking the second leg of the back-to-back series with Chicago on Sunday.