On the 63rd anniversary of the speech that inspired its name, the Atlanta Dream produced a few memorable moments but couldn’t get what it wanted most, a victory.

Atlanta’s four-game winning streak was snapped in a 101-83 loss to the Portland Fire on Saturday at Gateway Center Arena.

“We got off to a terrible start, and it took us a long time to get going,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said, whose team never got closer than five points in the second half.

Smesko said the team wasn’t locked in from the game’s start, noting its six turnovers in the first quarter.

“We should be playing playoff basketball now,” he said.

The loss dropped Atlanta from fourth to fifth in the standings, meaning it would be on the road against Indiana in the first round of the playoffs. The Dream has five games remaining. Atlanta will host first-place Minnesota on Sunday.

Rhyne Howard broke the franchise’s single-season record for steals, and the team also set a new single-season record. Angel Reese set the season record for defensive rebounds.

But those were the only highlights.

The Dream couldn’t stop Portland, which hit 58.5% of its shots. Carla Leite scored 26, and Emily Engstler added 25.

“They just wanted it more, and apparently we weren’t prepared to play for the duration of the game,” Howard said. “We didn’t really do much of anything to make any of their shots hard.”

Howard matched Leite with 26 points as all five Dream starters scored at least 10 points. Reese scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for her 28th double-double. Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada scored 11 each, and Naz Hillmon added 10.

Atlanta shot 36.6% and was outscored in the paint, 50-28. Portland started hot from outside and then took advantage inside.

“They were finding their open players, whether inside or outside,” Hillmon said. “We didn’t make it hard.”

The second quarter was notable for two moments:

Reese scored her 1,501st career point on a layup with 7:02 remaining.
The team set a franchise record for steals when Reese grabbed the team’s third with 3:40 left in the second quarter to give them 347 this season. They broke the record set in 2013.

Atlanta went into halftime trailing 52-38 because Portland shot 55.6%. The Fire scored off pick-and-rolls, isolations, high-screens … everything worked. Atlanta’s offense devolved into either one-on-ones or 3-pointers. It shot 30.8%. Smesko said too many times the correct decision wasn’t made when Portland was committed to defending the free-throw lane.

“You help us win by making good decisions,” Smesko said.

The Dream cut its gap to 60-53 on a 3-pointer by Howard with 5:32 left in the third quarter, resulting in Portland calling a timeout. Portland rebuilt its lead to 74-61 going into the fourth quarter.

Reese broke the franchise record for defensive rebounds in a season when she grabbed her seventh in the game, and 277th this year, with 7:54 remaining. She broke the record set by Tina Charles in 2024.

Howard was the next record-setter when she grabbed her second steal of the night and 90th of her career to set the franchise single-season record, previously set by Angel McCoughtry in 2013.

Atlanta reduced its margin to 82-76 when Canada completed a three-point play with 5:52 left.

The Fire’s hot shooting continued, and it quickly increased its six-point lead back to 12 with 4:40 left.

“We have the No. 1 team coming in here in 48 hours, you have no choice but to move on to the next one,” Howard said.

The Dream may have to face Minnesota without Reese, who picked up her eighth technical foul. Smesko said they would appeal the call.

“We’ll have to have a much better performance if we’re going to win, and the goal is to win,” Smesko said.

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