The Atlanta Dream, and highly scrutinized forward Angel Reese, needed a rebound.
Their last time on the court had been rough, and so when they returned to action Friday night in Portland against the expansion fire, they were seeking a bounce back.
Damian Lillard, the future Hall of Fame NBA player, was in attendance, and with his brilliant basketball mind watching courtside, the Dream got exactly what they needed.
Reese led the way by scoring a team-high 18 points. She shot 6-for-14 from the field (0-for-3 from 3) and 6-for-7 from the line.
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The talented lefty snatched 12 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked a shot. Reese did turn it over four times, but she was a plus-18 in her 32 minutes.
Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon and Allisha Gray were all in double figures as well for the Dream.
The Fire had won five of their first eight games, but on this night, the Dream overwhelmed them in an 86-66 win.
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The only real bright spot for Portland was Sarah Ashlee Barker, who came off the bench to score an efficient 14 points. The Dream forced the Fire into 28 turnovers, which was really the story of the game.
With the win, the Dream improved to 5-2 on the season. It’ll send them into the weekend with some good vibes.
They actually don’t have another leg of a West Coast swing, either. They’re heading back home. They’ll host the Connecticut Sun on June 2.
It’s definitely a better feeling after a game for Reese and the Dream than they had last time out, and now they’ll try to keep that roll going.