At the start of the season, Naz Hillmon embraced the challenge of extending her range and improving her 3-point shot. Throughout the year, the Atlanta Dream forward steadily developed her perimeter game.
On Monday night, Hillmon delivered her best performance from deep. She hit 4-of-7 3-pointers, including two clutch shots in the fourth quarter, and finished with a season-high 16 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and a blocked shot. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray celebrated Hillmon, drenching her in water as the Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 90-81 at Gateway Center Arena.
Atlanta (12-7) improved to 8-3 at home, capitalizing on 20 Valkyries turnovers that led to 25 points. They also dominated inside, scoring 34 points in the paint and getting 19 points off the bench, with 16 of them from Hillmon.
“You can see that she’s comfortable in big moments taking them,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said postgame. “And, we’re comfortable with her taking them when she’s open. We want her to take (them). … That last stretch in the fourth quarter hitting a couple in a row really was huge.”
Golden State led the Dream 71-65 early in the fourth quarter after Kate Martin sank her third 3-pointer. But the Dream responded with a 7-2 run, highlighted by a Howard triple and a Hillmon fastbreak layup off a Gray assist, cutting the lead to one.
Down 75-72, Jordin Canada went coast-to-coast and dished to Howard for a clutch 3 to tie the game. On the next play, Gray sliced to the rim, finished a tough floater, and converted the free throw to give the Dream a 78-75 lead. After a timeout with 3:39 left, the Dream exploded on a 9-2 run, with Hillmon burying her two 3s to stretch the lead to 87-77.
Golden State managed to cut the deficit to eight. However, late free throws from Canada and Howard sealed the win for the Dream.
Early in the season, Howard said jokingly that Hillmon did not like when she and her teammates cheered and celebrated the forward for connecting on 3s. Nine days away from the halfway point of the season, watching Hillmon drain 3-pointers has become second nature, according to Howard.
“Now we’re just all cheering like, ‘oh she’s shooting 3s’, like as if (Gray) or if I had hit a 3,” Howard said. “We’re all putting the 3s up (gesture).”
Gray led all Dream scorers with 24 points, one rebound, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Four other Dream players finished in double figures. Beyond Hillmon’s 16, Howard poured in 15 points, followed by Brionna Jones with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Brittney Griner with 11 points and five rebounds. The Dream shot 11-of-35 from beyond the arc, marking their first game shooting 30% or better from deep since their June 22 win against the Chicago Sky.
Monique Billings led the way for Golden State, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds. Four other players finished with 10 or more points, including Kayla Thornton with 15, Tiffany Hayes with 12, and Veronica Burton and Martin with 11.
Hayes sparked a 5-0 Valkyries’ run in the third quarter to push the lead to 55-50. Hillmon answered with a 3, and free throws from Jones and the Dream forward tied the game at 58. The teams traded 3s in the final possessions of the quarter, with Martin’s triple and Billings’ putback helping the Valkyries take a 68-64 edge into the fourth.
Golden State looked poised to run away with it in the second quarter, leading by as much as 12 after a Kaitlyn Chen 3-pointer. But the Dream stormed back with an 18-5 run, sparked by a Howard layup and fueled by free throws and paint production from Gray, Griner and Canada to take their first lead with four minutes left in the first half.
“I thought (Griner) really settled us down after a rough start,” Smesko said. “We got it into her and she either finished a shot or she got fouled. … Then, Bri (Jones) came in. We kept pounding it inside, and our bigs just made good decisions with (the ball). They looked to score, and then all of a sudden, they (Valkyries) started sending double teams on them and trying to surround them, and they’re making passes out or passes to cutters. … I thought they kind of got us back in the game.”
Gray extended that run with a stepback 3 to give the Dream a 43-37 lead. But the Valkyries answered with a 7-0 spurt. Threes from Thornton and Hayes and a tough layup by former Dream forward Laeticia Amihere put Golden State up 45-43 at halftime.
Golden State shot 60% in the first quarter and led 26-16 while both teams committed seven turnovers. The Dream closed the half shooting 44%, with 20 points in the paint and 14 points off Valkyries’ turnovers.
The Dream will return to action Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Indiana Fever.
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