Mystics won the frame 35-13 to take a 28-point lead into halftime
By: Gabe Ibrahim
After a five-day break between games the Atlanta Dream struggled to get back on track in D.C.. With assistant coach Vickie Johnson filling in for head coach Tanisha Wright, they fell to the Washington Mystics in their third consecutive loss. They are now 5-8 on the season.
The game slipped away from the Dream in the second quarter. Washington won the frame 35-13 to take a 28-point lead into halftime. Atlanta struggled in the paint and the Mystics took advantage by scoring in transition. Brittney Sykes’s block of Haley Jones punctuated the quarter and illustrated Atlanta’s struggles to finish the half strong.
“[In] the second quarter, we missed a lot of easy shots, but we had the right shots. We played hard,” said Coach Johnson. “We just got to start playing a little bit smarter when it comes down to closing quarters or halves.”
Atlanta’s defense remains a work in progress. The Dream rank 11th in the WNBA for defensive rating, giving up 105.9 points per possession. With Washington shooting 21 free throws foul trouble added to The Dream’s difficult night in D.C.
Cheyenne Parker also pointed to communication as an issue.
“The biggest thing for us is communicating on the defensive end,” explained the 8-year veteran. “I think that’ll really take off the load of just not knowing not being aware of what’s going on, who’s behind us who’s next to us who sit in the screen. So just early communication”
Due to the defensive struggles, the Dream have been reliant on their offense to get victories. When Atlanta registers an offensive rating of 100 or better, they are 5-2. The team is 0-6 otherwise. Often, their shooting on paint shots outside of the restricted area and mid-range can predict the outcome of the game. They shoot a combined 25.9% better in those two areas in wins than losses, whereas they shoot slightly worse from three and the rim in victories.
On the bright side, Nia Coffey put up her biggest scoring night of the season with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting. She brought energy from the jump by scoring Atlanta’s first five points. Cheyenne Parker got going in the second half to finish with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Atlanta also got to the line 35 times, which is the most for the franchise since 2018. The Dream has a chance at revenge immediately with the Mystics coming to Atlanta on Friday.
“I really believe we can beat this team, not taking anything away from Washington,” said Coach Johnson. “But for us as a team, I know that we have the pieces to not only compete with them also to win.”