On Thursday, June 6, the Atlanta Dream hosted the New York Liberty in a tight contest that ended with the visitors running away with a 78-61 scoreline. Breanna Stewart notched a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds while three different Liberty players ended the night with five assists (Leonie Fiebich, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart).
The Dream was put to work immediately as the Liberty stayed relentless throughout the game. New York held their lead at the end of every quarter and outscored Atlanta 23-13 in the fourth. The home side faired well against a dominant team in the beginning, but two things stood out to me as the difference makers.
So far this season, the Dream have relied on Aerial Powers off the bench to ignite “something”. Whether it be defense or offense, she’s come off the bench and made an immediate difference. This go-round, her impact wasn’t really felt offensively until the latter parts of the game. The other factor was Allisha Gray. She led the Dream with 16 points but the stat that stood out the most (which isn’t entirely her fault) is her 3-point shooting. As a team, the hosts shot 14.3% from the 3-point area, with Gray going 0 for 6. Only three 3-point shots were made out of 21 attempts. So here’s some quick math. The Liberty made a total of nine 3-point shots while the Dream made three. Had they equaled the Liberty and made just six more 3-pointers they would’ve won the game by a point.
I think we need to find our identity, who we want to be as a team. The coaching staff is putting us in the right positions, and we just have to have like she [Wright] said, the fortitude to go out there and hustle.”
Aerial Powers on the team’s identity
Remember, I didn’t say Powers had a bad game, it’s just that her impact was felt later than usual. Powers headlined the Dream bench with 13 points, two assists, and three rebounds.
Lorela Cubaj saw her first minutes of the 2024 season and scored her first points via free throws. She had four points, two assists, two rebounds, a steal, and a block. “It felt good,” she said about her performance. “My teammates and my coaches give me a lot of confidence. So, I just went [out] there and just tried to do my best.”
The Dream move to an overall record of 4-4 as they travel to Chicago on June 8 to face Angel Reese and the Sky. The game will air on WNBA League Pass.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Adam Hagy/NBAE