Rest assured, when Allisha Gray steps on the court for a game, the Atlanta Dream guard is ready to impact the game with her ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc, attack the rim as well as defend.
But when Gray enters a game coming off a contest where she failed to convert a 3-pointer — like she did in the Dream’s victory on Friday against the Chicago Sky, or in the loss on May 22 to the Indiana Fever — her resolve and her motivation to deliver a bounce back performance is unmatched.
That’s what happened in the Dream’s 89-56 rout of the Washington Mystics on Sunday inside CareFirst Arena. The two-time All-Star torched Washington for a career-high 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, to go along with five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Gray entered Sunday’s clash after a 15-point performance on 5-of-13 shots from the field against Chicago.
“Every game she (Gray) looks more and more comfortable,” said Dream coach Karl Smesko.
Gray’s dominance from deep, which started with her spraying three 3-pointers alone in the first quarter, spearheaded the Dream in setting a new franchise record for the most 3-pointers in a single game (18) and one shy of the WNBA single-game feat. The reigning WNBA All-Star 3-Point champ’s rhythm also rubbed off on rookie guard and fellow South Carolina star Te-Hina Paopao, who came off the bench and exploded for 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3.
“She (Paopao) wants to be like me so bad,” Gray said with a laugh.
“Big bruh (Gray) wants to be like me,” Paopao said.
As the duo sat at the table postgame — sharing some laughs — their play created the ultimate Dream affair within Smesko’s philosophy, along with a defensive performance that saw the franchise limit Washington to 22 points in the second half and holding Washington to 29.5% (18-of-61) from the floor for the game.
The Dream’s (8-3) 33-point win marked the franchise’s biggest margin of victory since 2014 and their best start through their first 11 games since 2016.
Here are three takeaways from the Dream’s win to the Mystics.
Allisha Gray produced new career high in points
Prior to her explosive performance on Sunday, Gray registered five games with 20 or more points this season. However, after the first 10 minutes of play, Gray embraced the green light to leave her mark on the game.
“I was a little disappointed in how I was shooting in the last game (against Sky),” Gray said, who finished with 19 of her 32 points in the first half of the contest. “This game for me was to start out aggressive. All I needed to see was one go in and that gave me confidence.”
Beyond her prowess from deep, she also played a key part in the Dream’s ability to attack the rim and get points from the free throw, finishing 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao emerge off the bench
Although Gray captured much of the attention from Sunday’s win, Hillmon and Paopao commanded a Dream bench that produced 32 of the team’s 89 points with the two of them combining for 26.
“I just love how she’s (Paopao) aggressive,” Gray said. “(She) has a great 3-point shot, like her big (sis). I’m just proud of how hard she works, and she stays ready all the time.”
Hillmon registered her first double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and five assists in the victory. As a team, the Dream improved to 4-1 this season when their bench outscores their opponent and 2-0 when two more reserves amass 10 or more points in a game. Rookie guard Taylor Thierry also added a 3 and the first points of her WNBA career.
“It seems like whenever we have a great game, we have at least one or multiple people just have good games off the bench,” Smesko said. “When we can rely on our depth, we’re pretty good. Feels good that we grow … have confidence in our bench.”
Dream clamp down defensively in second half
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Smesko told reporters that he blamed himself for the lack of intentionality behind the Dream’s defensive gameplan in their 94-90 season-opening loss to the Mystics.
“We weren’t really ready to defend at a high level,” Smesko said. “We spent so much time on offense, and we came in here (to Washington), and they (Mystics) really kind of exposed us.”
The Dream led the Mystics 45-34 at halftime with both teams shooting 40% or better from the field. Even more, Washington held a 18-8 advantage against the Dream in points in the paint. However, things were much different in the second half.
The Mystics finished with eight paint points, 6-of-31 from the floor along with four assists in the second half. The Dream’s victory marked their third win of the season where they limited an opponent to less than 60 points.
What’s next for the Dream
The Dream will face the defending WNBA champion Liberty (9-1) in their fifth Commissioner’s Cup matchup on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Currently, New York sits second in the WNBA standings behind the Minnesota Lynx (10-1).
However, as the Dream continue to win, Smesko said it is important that the team continues to grow and improve daily on both sides of the ball.
“I don’t think that we put it all together yet,” Smesko said. “We have the offense going, and then we start to emphasize the defense, and the defense improves. (Then), our defense is excellent, (then) next game we’re trying to get our spacing back on offense. I think we’re just going through the things that you would expect in a new system and new players working together.
“I’m committed to growing, learning, getting better at this (and) I’m hoping that our players have the same mindset.”
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