ATLANTA — The Atlanta Dream secured their fourth consecutive victory Wednesday night, defeating the Washington Mystics 88-87 on Allisha Gray's game-winning jumper with 3.2 seconds left.
Gray finished with 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point range. Her decisive basket came after a Mystics turnover gave Atlanta possession with 11 seconds remaining.
Angel Reese was dominant. She posted 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals — her sixth double-double of the season. Reese controlled the paint and disrupted passing lanes all night. Combined with Gray's 25, the two accounted for 47 of Atlanta's 88 points.
Washington guard Ariel Atkins kept the Mystics in it, scoring 28 points and staying aggressive through the fourth quarter. It wasn't enough. Washington fell to 9-16.
Atlanta held the Mystics to 41 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers, converting that defensive pressure into transition chances. The Dream also recorded 21 assists on 33 made baskets and limited their own turnovers to 10.
The win pushes Atlanta to 14-11, third in the Eastern Conference and two games behind the second-place New York Liberty.
This streak is real. The Dream are beating quality opponents and closing tight games — that's what a maturing roster does. Coach Tanisha Wright has drilled ball movement and accountability into this group, and it shows.
Atlanta faces back-to-back games next week against the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm. Those matchups will test whether the Dream can chase a top-two seed — and the home-court advantage that comes with it.
