Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Brittney Griner delivered spark after spark for the Dream, keeping them within striking distance of a statement win Tuesday night.
But when the game reached its final moments, the Aces leaned on their defense and their superstar and extended their win streak.
In a contest defined by 15 ties and nine lead changes, the Aces clamped down late, forcing Howard into two tough looks in the closing seconds to seal a 74-72 win at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
“Kind of ran out of gas in the fourth quarter,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “Give them credit for playing great defense in that fourth quarter and forcing some tough shots on our part.”
The Aces (22-14) won their eighth straight game, and the loss dropped the Dream to 22-13, tied with the New York Liberty for the second-best record in the WNBA.
The loss also extended the Dream’s struggles against the Aces this season, losing both head-to-head matchups and marking only their second road defeat since July 22, which also came against the Aces.
The Dream have been tested on the road, playing 12 of their last 16 games away from Gateway Center Arena since July 11. Still, they’ve managed to win eight of those, showing resilience despite heavy travel.
Smesko opened the fourth quarter with a two-big lineup, pairing Griner — playing her fifth straight game off the bench — with Naz Hillmon. The adjustment worked immediately. Griner scored the first four points of the frame, Gray followed with a bucket on the block and the Dream extended an 11-0 run that began in the third quarter, for their largest lead.
But the Aces quickly flipped momentum. Out of a timeout, Las Vegas answered with an 8-0 spurt capped by A’ja Wilson slipping free off a back screen from Jewell Lloyd for a layup. Wilson later buried a smooth jumper from the top of the key to tie it at 67.
The Aces surged ahead late. Lloyd buried a clutch corner 3 and Wilson added a mid-range jumper to push ahead, 72-69. Howard kept Atlanta alive with a deep triple to tie it again with 1:37 left in regulation. But the final surge belonged to the Aces.
Wilson, who finished 32 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and five blocks, notched her 17th double-double and ninth 30-point game this season. She made a soft-bouncing jumper to give Las Vegas the lead for good. The Aces’ defense swarmed, forcing Howard into a contested corner 3-pointer and a missed floater in the final seconds to secure the victory.
The Dream were limited to just 11 fourth-quarter points, tying their season low for the frame. Atlanta committed 15 turnovers overall with 11 after halftime, including six in the final quarter.
“They (Aces) did a good job switching,” Smesko said. “…We’re going to try and get the ball to the mismatch of BG inside. Give A’ja credit. Her length made it that we couldn’t make the pass. …Then, we had Rhyne with the ball. …Maybe we could have used our reset (timeout). We had opportunities for a second shot. …I can’t guarantee that we get a better shot than we got. …I feel good with the ball in Rhyne’s hands. The ball literally rolled in and out.”
Howard led the Dream with 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Gray finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Griner added 16 points and eight rebounds.
Jackie Young finished with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Aces’ second double-digit scorer on the night.
The Dream return to action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET when they host the Minnesota Lynx.
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