Before Friday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, Dream coach Karl Smesko told reporters he wanted his team to play faster and focus on getting the ball inside for high-percentage shots.
The Dream played at a faster pace and scored a then-season-high 52 points in the paint against the Lynx. However, struggles with late-game execution in the fourth quarter led to a Dream loss. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the New York Liberty, Smesko delivered the same message. This time, his squad delivered a different outcome.
The Dream (11-6) defeated the reigning WNBA champions 90-81, setting a new season high with 62 points in the paint. They also pushed the tempo, grabbed key rebounds on both ends and made timely 3-pointers — despite shooting only 21.1% (4-of-19) from deep, their third consecutive game notching below 22% from beyond the arc.
How did the Dream knock off one of the WNBA’s top two teams while struggling in one of the franchise’s key areas? Brionna Jones took over in the paint, tying her season high with 21 points.
“She’s (Jones) an amazing player,” Dream center Brittney Griner said postgame. “She’s always talking in the timeouts and telling us different things that she’s seeing. They’re always the right things. And then, what she does on the court? … I get stuck just watching sometimes, because I’m just like, oh, she got that (laughs). … She’s a huge part of why we’re successful.”
Jordin Canada kept the offense moving with a team-high eight assists, helping the Dream rack up a season-best 27 dimes. On defense, the Dream held New York (11-5) to just 34 first-half points — including a season-low 15 in the second quarter, despite the Liberty outscoring them in the second half. With a win over the defending champs, the expectations — and pressure — continue to grow for the Dream.
Here are three takeaways from the Dream’s win against the Liberty.
Jones leads Dream’s performance in the paint
Since her breakout season in 2020, Jones has remained one of the league’s more consistent and efficient performers. The three-time All-Star continues to prove why Smesko and Dream general manager Dan Padover prioritized signing her in free agency.
Through 17 games, Jones has scored in double figures 14 times, including consecutive games with 20 or more points. On Sunday, she led the Dream in scoring while adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jones ranks second in the WNBA in offensive rebounds (3.3), ninth in total rebounds (7.9) and 11th in two-pointers made (4.9) per game.
“She’s (Jones) been exceptional all season,” Smesko said after the game. “She’s like everything you want in a player. … She’s always been really good in the post, but you can see she’s even added some post moves and some different finishes. … She’s been fantastic.”
Alongside Jones’ dominance in the paint, Griner made her presence felt inside for the Dream. The 10-time All-Star posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time since the Dream’s first two games of the season. She has reached double figures in only four of the team’s 10 games in June.
Griner recorded 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in Sunday’s win while also passing Jonquel Jones for 20th on the WNBA’s all-time rebounds list with 2,406. After the game, the 34-year-old credited her teammates for helping her push through her recent offensive struggles.
“I give a lot of credit to my teammates and (them) believing in me, encouraging me and telling me to shoot the ball,” Griner said. “Without them, I probably would have been still stuck in that slump. There’s ups and downs, (and) there’s times where you’ll make every shot in practice, but it’s not going in the game. So, it’s just sticking to it.”
Canada, Allisha Gray deliver key outings for Dream
Canada and Gray added another layer to the Dream’s control of the paint. Canada, the team’s floor general, used her speed to blow past defenders and her craftiness to finish at the rim, ending the game with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Sunday’s performance marked her second consecutive game in double figures and her fourth this season with 10 or more points.
“For the past five quarters, (she) has really looked like the Jordin that we’ve expected to see,” Smesko said. “How good of a job has she done just kind of initiating the offense and getting open looks for her teammates. She’s definitely been pushing the pace, and … (competing) on the defensive end.”
Gray came up one rebound shy of a double-double outing as she delivered 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 57.1% from the floor.
Dream knock off top-two team, but work remains
Despite sitting among the league’s top four teams, Smesko continues to emphasize that the Dream are still learning and growing. Before Sunday’s win, the Dream had yet to beat a team above them in the standings — falling to both the Lynx and Liberty earlier this season.
In their June 17 loss to New York and Friday’s loss against Minnesota, the Dream struggled with offensive execution, had defensive breakdowns and failed to take control late in games. On Sunday, they turned things around. But to stay competitive down the stretch, they’ll need more performances like the one against the Liberty and stronger finishes. The Dream led by 20 in the first half and 18 in the second, yet only came away with a nine-point win, highlighting the need for continued improvement in late-game defense and execution.
“Coaches (are) challenging us to keep going (later in games),” Griner said. “... Don’t settle because then that’s when teams start creeping back up. … We had a 20-point lead and kind of let them (Liberty) dwindle that down. … That’s a challenge for us moving forward, going deeper into the season and then playoffs. When you get those leads, you can’t let any team (back) in in this league. … On any given night, they can take it from you.”
The Dream must also improve their shooting percentage on 3-pointers — a key pillar of Smesko’s offense — while staying consistent from the charity stripe. Before Sunday’s game, Smesko emphasized that the team couldn’t afford to shoot 4-of-22 from deep — as it did in Friday’s loss to the Lynx — and still expect to beat a team like the Liberty.
After the victory, Smesko jokingly referenced his pregame statement, noting his team went 4-of-19 on 3-point shots, a slight improvement. The Dream also struggled at the line, shooting a season-low 54.5% (12-of-22) from the free-throw line.
“We haven’t shot (3-point shots) well in a while,” Smesko said. “… We didn’t shoot free throws well, either. … At times, you go through stretches like that, or (it) could be a little bit of fatigue setting in everybody. … It’s tiring for everybody how many games that we’re playing. At the level that we’re competing on the boards and defensively, sometimes that can take its toll. …If we want to be really good, we’re going to have to shoot the ball better from the perimeter.
“If you don’t shoot well from the perimeter, they’re (other teams are) just going to clog up the paint, trap the post, all those kind of things.”
What’s next for the Dream?
The Dream will return to action at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when they face the Seattle Storm in a rematch at Gateway Center Arena. The Dream defeated the Storm 94-87 on May 30, overcoming a 17-point deficit at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
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