Down 12 in the Fourth Didn't Matter The Dream Find a Way to Win 82-80

If you thought the Atlanta Dream were going to make this easy you don't know this team yet.

Down 12 points in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Mercury, the Atlanta Dream went on a 24-11 run over the final 4 minutes and 50 seconds to steal an 82-80 victory at home and improve to 4-1 on the season. This starting five Canada, Allisha Gray, Howard, Hillmon, and Reese is now 4-0 together. I'm going to keep saying it until everybody believes it: this team is special.

Jordin Canada was absolutely locked in

Let me start here because what Jordin Canada did tonight deserves its own conversation. Fourteen assists. A career high. Tied for the Atlanta Dream all-time single game record. She also added 11 points and 3 steals for her first double-double of the season. Fourteen assists. In a game the Dream were losing in the fourth quarter. She just kept finding people, kept making the right play, kept the offense connected even when everything looked like it was falling apart.

That is a floor general operating at the absolute peak of her powers. Canada is one of the most underrated players in this league and tonight was a masterclass.

Rhyne Howard is on another level right now

21 points. 8 rebounds. 1 steal. Her second consecutive game with 20 or more points and her 10th career game with six or more made threes. Howard came into this season with something to prove after returning from injury and she has been proving it every single night. She is locked in, she is healthy, and she is playing like the No. 1 overall pick that Atlanta built this franchise around.

The face of this franchise is shining bright right now.

Angel Reese and Allisha Gray were right there

Reese posted her 52nd career double-double 17 points and 10 rebounds and added 4 assists and 4 steals. That is an all-around performance from a player who has fit into this system seamlessly since arriving in Atlanta. She is rebounding at an elite level, she is scoring, and she is defending with the kind of intensity that changes games. The Chicago trade gets better looking every single week.

Allisha Gray added 18 points and a steal in what was another efficient, quiet, dominant performance from one of the most consistent players in the league. Three All-Star selections in Atlanta and she just keeps showing up. Every. Single. Game.

The rookies came up big

This is what I love about this Dream team the depth goes all the way down the roster. When the game was hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter it wasn't just the stars who stepped up. Rookies Indya Nivar and Isobel Borlase both hit momentum-shifting three-pointers that kept Atlanta's comeback alive. Two rookies. In a must have stretch of a tight game. Hitting big shots.

That is a program. That is a culture. Karl Smesko has these young players ready and they are delivering when it counts.

Borlase finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in a composed performance that showed exactly why Atlanta invested in this draft class.

The comeback

Down 12 in the fourth with the Mercury looking like they were going to hold on the Dream just refused to go away. A 24-11 run in the final 4:50 of the game. That doesn't happen by accident. That happens because you have Jordin Canada running your offense, Rhyne Howard making shots, Angel Reese crashing the glass, and a bench that believes they can win every single time they step on the floor.

Phoenix had Alyssa Thomas with 20 points and 12 rebounds and 12 assists a monster performance . That says everything about what Atlanta is building right now.

My take

4-1. Starting five 4-0. A 24-11 fourth quarter comeback against one of the East's toughest opponents. Jordin Canada tying the franchise assist record. Rhyne Howard dropping 20 for the second straight game. Angel Reese with her third double-double of the season. Rookies hitting clutch threes.

The Atlanta Dream are not just contenders. They are a problem. A real, legitimate, championship level problem. And Her Game Network is going to be covering every step of this run.

Next: Wed, May 27 @Minnesota 6:00 PM Target Center