The Atlanta Dream hosted the Indiana Fever in a highly contested preseason matchup. Atlanta fell 81-76 on the night but had a lot of positives to take away. Rookie and recent draft pick Te-Hina Paopao has quickly become a fan favorite and had an incredible outing, leading the Dream with 14 points. Nia Coffey and Taylor Thierry co-led the team in rebounds (5) while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came through with three assists.
Lexie Hull came off the bench and supported an already stacked Fever starting five. She led the visitors with 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and assisted on four occasions. Not to be outdone, Caitlin Clark scored 13 points but truly stood out with her seven assists and three three-pointers to help cushion the lead.
The biggest difference between the two teams was the points in the paint. The Fever ended the night with 44 points in the paint, twice as many as the Dream’s 22. The point share tonight wasn’t balanced, and the Dream needed to make more of a presence inside. You can’t have an all-star center like Brittney Griner and feel ok with her only having three points.
Paopao brought the excitement in the first quarter with her point contribution and made a big-time block on Lexi Hull to keep the game level at nine points.
In the fourth quarter, The Dream came out strong, opening with four points. Rookie Taylor Thierry scored five points in less than a minute, being assisted by Paopao and Naz Hillmon.
Ultimately, the Fever would get the better of the hosts with quality outside shooting and a dominant presence in the paint.
The Dream will kick off the regular season traveling to Washington, D.C. to face the Mystics on Friday, May 16, at 7:30 PM at CareFirst Arena.
-Jon Jones
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