Dream weathers Storm, takes sixth straight win, 85-75, in Seattle

“The way we finished the third quarter was a big difference,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “It gave us some separation. They kept coming at us but we were able to hold them off at the end.”

With its sixth consecutive win, Atlanta (21-11) moved into first place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the Liberty. They now trail only first-place Minnesota (27-5) and sit two wins shy of matching the franchise’s longest all-time winning streak, set in July 2018.

Returning from injury, Howard’s spark has been a big part of continuing the win streak.

Howard buried a pull-up 3 early in the fourth to push the Dream’s lead to 16. Seattle answered after a jumper from Nneka Ogwumike sparked an 8-2 run, trimming the gap to 77-69 with just over three minutes left.

The Storm (16-17) twice pulled within 10 and cut it to 83-75 when Erica Wheeler hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining. But Howard delivered the dagger, threading a pass to a cutting Naz Hillmon for the final basket to seal the victory for the Dream.

Allisha Gray delivered her second double-double of the season, posting 22 points and 11 rebounds in another MVP-caliber showing. Brittney Griner, in only her second game back from a neck injury, added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Maya Caldwell contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in her 13th start for the Dream this season.

Brionna Jones chipped in eight points, four rebounds and two assists and Hillmon seven points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal, strengthening her case for Sixth Woman of the Year.

The Dream opened the third quarter cold, going nearly two minutes without a bucket before Brionna Jones banked in a shot and added another as part of a 6-0 run for a 47-39 lead. Seattle stayed quiet until Ezi Magbegor buried a 3-pointer nearly four minutes in. Moments later, Brittney Sykes sliced through the lane for a layup, giving the Storm their first lead of the half, 49-48.

However, the Storm’s edge didn’t last. With the Dream clinging to a five-point lead late in the third quarter, Howard took over. She torched Seattle with a personal 9-0 run — three straight 3-pointers, including one off a steal — to blow the game open. Her outburst turned a tight contest into a 68-54 Dream lead heading into the fourth.

Howard said the Dream were simply looking for two possessions to close the third quarter when she buried the first 3-pointer. The next two — both daggers — came from being in the right spot at the right time.

“The second (three) was a bit of a heat check,” Howard said with a smile. “… I did hear (Smesko) tell (Brittney Griner) to post up. I looked at BG and BG looked at me and I just shot it. Thank God I make the shot to the bank, because that definitely would have been on film. Then, after you hit those two, obviously the morale of the other team is kind of down because that’s six points. Lazy pass (on Storm inbound play), another three.”

Griner hit a 3-pointer — her fifth of the season — to give the Dream their largest lead, 31-21, early in the second quarter. But the Storm responded with Skylar Diggins draining a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to six.

Ogwumike paced the Storm with 29 points on 13-of-23 shooting, adding nine rebounds, four assists and a steal. Gabby Williams contributed 11 points, four boards, six assists and a steal. Seattle notched their sixth consecutive loss — eight in its last 10 — leaving the Storm clinging to the eighth spot in the standings.

Ogwumike followed with a contested turnaround hook and scored six of Seattle’s final eight points, including two free throws from Brittney Sykes, to pull the Storm within two, 41-39, at halftime. Ogwumike led Seattle in the first half with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Caldwell and Gray paced the Dream with 10 points each.

The Dream return to action Friday, with a rematch against the Storm in the WNBA Canada matchup at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.