The Atlanta Dream erased a 15-point deficit Friday night and beat the Phoenix Mercury 82-80 at home, a comeback sealed by a late steal from Angel Reese and a clutch finish from Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard. Atlanta improved to 4-1 on the season after surviving a game that swung hard in both directions.
Reese finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block, then ended Phoenix's last real push with the game-sealing steal. Howard led Atlanta with 21 points, Allisha Gray added 18 and Canada delivered 11 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Alyssa Thomas paced Phoenix with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and Kahleah Copper also scored 20, but the Mercury could not hold off Atlanta after building control early.
The Dream were outscored 25-13 in the opening period and trailed by as many as 15 before steadying the game in the second quarter. Atlanta closed that period with a 24-point quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Indya Nivar, and had cut the margin to 44-37 by halftime. Even then, the home side still entered the fourth quarter down eight, leaving the final minutes to decide whether the rally would become another close loss or another bounce-back win.
Canada made the key plays when the pressure peaked. With 1:03 remaining, she tied the game with a tough and-one layup, then made the free throw to give Atlanta a one-point lead. Moments later, Howard buried a clutch 3-pointer off a pass from Canada, a shot that stretched the lead and forced Phoenix into a final chase it could not complete. Reese then finished the job at the other end with the steal that shut the door.
The win fit a pattern Atlanta has built over the opening stretch of the season. The Dream opened with back-to-back wins, lost by one point to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in their third game, then beat the Dallas Wings by 17 points behind Howard's 25-point outing before facing Phoenix. They will travel to meet the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, carrying a record that has already been shaped by tight games and timely recoveries.
