Key takeaway: Atlanta Dream loses to Las Vegas Aces on Friday

The Dream (7-15) entered Friday’s game having lost eight of their last 10 games, including their last five. To secure their second win of the three-game season series against Las Vegas, the Dream needed to focus on their attention to detail on offense and defense, push the pace on offense, run in transition and force Aces stars A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray into tough, contested shots.

While Atlanta showed glimpses of those demands on the court, the Dream lacked consistency, resulting in an 84-70 loss to the Aces (15-7) in front of a sold-out Gateway Center Arena. The final score was a direct reflection of Atlanta’s inability to capitalize on momentum and opportunities in key moments.

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Despite the Dream’s sixth straight loss and the formation of a seventh different starting lineup this season, hope is far from lost for Atlanta. The team is without Rhyne Howard (left ankle), Aerial Powers (left calf) and Jordin Canada (right finger) due to injuries and Laeticia Amihere due to international commitments with Team Canada ahead of the Olympics.

“We understand we’re missing some big guns (really good players) on our team,” Wright told reporters after Friday’s loss. “… That’s part of the reason. We’ve got to keep fighting … (and) put in the same effort so that once we come back from the (Olympic) break and we’re at full strength, that’s going to be the identity of our team.”

Here are three takeaways from the Dream’s loss to the Aces.

Dream-dominated points in painting

It didn’t take long for Atlanta to show that points in the paint would be an advantage, even if it wasn’t a major asset heading into Friday’s game. Atlanta outscored Las Vegas in the paint 10-4 in the first frame and 18-8 in the first half en route to a 42-16 advantage in the game.

Wright said Atlanta’s authority inside comes from transition running and offensive acceleration. “That’s something we’ve been emphasizing over the last month,” she said.

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Not enough defensive stops

The offensive acceleration also comes through regular stops on defense. Las Vegas led by as many as 17 points three times in the third quarter. But Atlanta outscored Las Vegas 17-13 in the quarter and stepped up its defense, forcing the Aces to miss their final seven shots of the quarter.

However, after Atlanta held Las Vegas scoreless for more than five minutes, Aces rookie Kate Martin hit a decisive three-pointer in the corner heading into the fourth quarter. That gave Las Vegas a much-needed basket and set up a back-and-forth scoring flurry.

“(Haley Jones) closed on her,” Wright said of Martin’s 3-point shooting. “(Martin) … does a lot of things really well, but one thing she does really well is shoot 3-pointers, and Haley just didn’t have the sense of urgency that she needed.”

The lack of urgency in this possession is an example of the general problems – lack of discipline and consistency on defense – in the final possessions of the Dream’s last few games.

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Atlanta bench delivers

Despite the loss, the production of the backups was a bright spot for the Dream. The Aces rely heavily on their starting rotation and entered Friday’s game with the fourth-fewest bench points per game in the league (13.9). Atlanta, which averaged fourth at 20.0, took advantage of that, outscoring Las Vegas 29-12.

Nearly 60 percent of Atlanta’s bench contributions came from forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (17 points, seven rebounds). Guard Destanni Henderson, who signed her second seven-day contract with the team on Friday, had eight, and forward Nia Coffey finished with four.

“I thought CP did a great job of not settling and scoring points in the paint,” Wright said.

Starting guard Allisha Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer and a player who was asked to wear multiple hats for Atlanta, led the team in minutes played (38). She finished with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. Starting center Tina Charles and starting forward Maya Caldwell also finished with double-digit points, with 12 and 13, respectively.

“(Gray) really leads by example, staying aggressive on offense and speaking up on defense when we’re in the game,” Caldwell said. “That’s definitely a voice we look for and hear a lot.”

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On the plus side for the Dream, the constant roster changes due to injuries have given other players the opportunity to earn valuable playing time. Wright believes that will help Atlanta prepare heading into the WNBA All-Star break and the Olympics.

The Dream will open a two-game road trip Sunday against the Seattle Storm, then face the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday before the break. Seattle and Minnesota are currently in the top five of the WNBA standings. However, Wright believes Atlanta is still a “good enough” team to finish the first half of the season on a high note “if we take care of the ball late in the season, execute offensively and defensively and continue to fight and endure those things.”

However, when asked if this break would be beneficial for the Dream, Wright fully accepted it.

“The break would be a welcome period for this team,” she said.