ATLANTA — What makes the Dream formidable is easy to identify and much harder to stop.
Before Sunday’s game, Sky coach Tyler Marsh could point directly to the stat sheet. Atlanta entered No. 1 in transition scoring, second-chance points and points in the paint.
They turned the opening quarter into a live demonstration.
The Dream played at a blistering pace. All-Star Rhyne Howard knocked down wide-open three-pointers at one end and swatted away shots at the other. Atlanta crowded the Sky, rushing them into uncharacteristic turnovers.
By the time the Dream’s lead reached 18, the Sky appeared headed for a long night.
Instead, they turned it into one of their most exciting games of the season, rallying to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
“Offensively, we calmed down a little bit,” center Elizabeth Williams said. “We took care of the ball a little better, and defensively our intensity picked up. They were feeling really comfortable initially, and I think we took it on ourselves to turn that up.”
Ultimately, they lost on a last-second shot, another close game they could not finish.
But the way they fought back was encouraging. They disrupted Atlanta, generated stops and turned them into transition baskets. They shared the ball and settled into a smoother half-court flow.
Azurá Stevens led the Sky with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Williams, Kamilla Cardoso, Sydney Taylor and Courtney Vandersloot also scored in double figures.
That balance has come to define the Sky’s offense.
“Everybody eats,” Natasha Cloud told the Sun-Times. “That’s our philosophy. It is read and react while still giving us discipline with it. A lot of offenses will only focus on one or two people. Our offense, it literally needs everybody.”
Asked to rate the offense at this point in the season on a scale of one to 10, Cloud said she’s a tough critic and gave it a 7.5. She still sees too many lulls, especially late in games when every possession carries more weight.
Huge shot
Trailing by three with nine seconds remaining, the Sky called the rookie’s number. Sydney Taylor buried a difficult three-pointer to tie the game.
“Super proud of Syd,” Stevens said. “She plays with so much poise for a rookie and has so much confidence in herself. That play culminates who she is as a player. She’s not scared of the moment. It was a really, really tough shot.”
It was not Taylor’s first.
In her first start against the Liberty, she hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to put the Sky ahead. But, just as they did against the Liberty, the Sky followed her heroics by surrendering a wide-open layup. This time, Dream guard Jordin Canada slipped free for the winner at the buzzer.
Cooling off
Dream forward Angel Reese entered Sunday on a three-game heater but never found her rhythm against her former team.
She shot 3-for-13 before leaving in the third quarter with a lower-leg injury. Her efficiency struggles around the basket have continued in Atlanta, even as the rest of her game gives the Dream a boost.