Atlanta Dream fall to Chicago Sky 85-77 on Tuesday night
ATLANTA – It’s a shame one of these teams had to lose, and it was even more unfortunate it was the Atlanta Dream falling to the Chicago Sky 85-77 Tuesday night.
“We didn’t keep our composure and play poised and find the right shots and the right opportunities and that’s more of a reflection on me for not getting us poised,” said Dream head coach Tanisha Wright.
The final score doesn’t tell the full story though because Tuesday’s game was a battle.
The Dream were up 19-14 midway through the first quarter before the Sky went on an 8-0 run to take a 22-19 lead at the end of the quarter.
It wasn’t until there were two and a half minutes left in the second quarter when the Dream took the lead back, but it was short lived as the Sky went into the half with a 43-41 lead.
The third quarter would be mostly Atlanta, taking its largest lead of the night after going up 60-56, but the Sky just wouldn’t go away as they’d take a 66-64 lead by the end.
The fourth quarter is when Atlanta would show their tired legs. Tuesday was their third game in five days and it finally caught up to them as the Sky were able to run away with the lead and the win.
But what it eventually came down to was turnovers.
“I think we have to do a better job understanding that we want to play fast and we want to play with pace,” Wright said. “I think the last three games we’ve been playing that way fast and with pace but with that we still need to be able to take care of the ball.”
Tuesday night wasn’t a total loss for the Dream though. After the game, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray was told she had been named to the 2024 All-Star Game.
“It makes me feel good,” Gray said.
Well, she’s been playing good. Not only did she score a team high 19 points in the loss Tuesday, but she’s leading her team with 16 points per game.
“Coming to Atlanta I always say it’s the best thing to have in my career,” Gray said. “I mean being here I’ve been able to be set up for success and also being in Atlanta allows me to … feel free and and [coach Wright] just allows me to play and just be free and have fun in the course. So I say this all the time but coming to Atlanta really revived my career.”
The Dream will be back in action on Friday to play their fourth game in seven days against the Dallas Wings.
