The Atlanta Dream Just Gave the Sun 40 Minutes of Hell; Someone Call a Medic

Let’s not sugarcoat it at all.

The Atlanta Dream beat the Connecticut Sun like they owed them rent money, and then some. There was never a moment in this game, where Connecticut was in.

We’re talking 79–55, and that’s with Atlanta coasting the final stretch like Speed Racer letting a go-kart ogo in the merging lane.

The Sun tried. Connecticut shot 31.8% from the field, made four threes the entire game, and went home looking like they just got hit by a philosophical crisis. This wasn’t just a blowout. It was a dismemberment.

One of those threes’ was made by Aneesah Morrow who scored her first WNBA poitns. Morrow finished the game with 3 points and 7 rebounds in her 11 minutes of game action. But that was one of the few bright spots of this contest for Connecticut.

On the other hand, the Dream held the Sun to 11 points in the first quarter, then 11 again in the third, and you’d be forgiven if you thought the Sun’s offense was being called on dial-up. Every starter had a negative plus-minus of at least -14. That’s not a team; that’s five caution signs in matching jerseys.

 

“It’s very hard to say something positive about this game,” Sun coach Rachid Meziane said afterward, visibly baffled by the carnage. “We didn’t play with pride, with honor.”

Meziane’s not wrong.

The Dream bullied them, boxed them out, ran circles around them, and turned every Sun possession into a group therapy session.

This is Nia Coffey’s City Now

We need to talk about Nia. Because this wasn’t just a double-double — it was a declaration of war.

Coffey finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and a whole lot of smoke. Coffey had one of the best performances of the day as she went 8-for-13 from the field and hit two threes for good measure. If Connecticut had a plan for her, it died in the first five minutes.

 

“They crash extremely hard,” Coffey said of the Sun. “So we had to box out and match their energy… we just really focused on that altogether.”

Coffey also spoke about the Atlanta Dream and how good they are.

 

“We have such a great team,” she added. “We’re going to do what we need for each other.”

And here’s the kicker Coffey had to speak about the Atlanta Dream franchise

 

 “I love the vision, the leadership — just from coach. I just think it suits us really well as a team. It doesn’t have to be hard. If you play together, play hard, it just feels really good. Really fun.”

That’s not just a vibe. That’s a thesis statement (Also, shoutout to Coffey for being named to the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.)

Additonally, Allisha Gray casually walked into the game and started doing crimes.

Gray hit midrange jumpers like she was skipping rocks and finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and every single one of them felt like it came with a shoulder shimmy. The kind of game where the net barely moves and the defender just stares at the floor afterward like it’s gonna give them answers.

Coach Karl Smesko saw it too.

“Allisha is coming off a great game yesterday,” he said. “Today she got off to a great start and really held it for us until everyone else got it going… she’s had a tremendous start to the season.”

Additionally, Maya Caldwell showed up to the party.

Six points. Twelve rebounds. Six assists. One steal. And roughly 47 possessions of straight-up torment for whoever she was guarding.

“I take pride in my defense,” Caldwell said,“It’s easier to get back on defense when the shots are going through the net,” she added. Matter-of-fact. Ice cold.

She was everywhere, making reads, boxing out, crashing the glass, and throwing dimes like it was rec league at the YMCA.

If Coffey was the fire, Caldwell was the scaffolding. The Dream don’t win this game like this without her.

Connecticut’s Offense Looked Like a Government Shutdown

The Sun rolled out a starting five and watched them shoot 16-for-49. Marina Mabrey went 4-for-14. That’s a number, but it reads like a confession.

Tina Charles had 11 points and seven boards, but looked stuck in molasses every time she put the ball on the floor. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Bria Hartley had double figures. So did the collective sigh coming from the bench.

 

“We can’t play like we played,” Meziane said. “We are a team that has to play almost perfect with our execution… we need to find our fire.”

No fire, no rhythm, no urgency.

The Dream had them chasing shadows, and by the third quarter, they were already mentally on the team bus.

Defensive Clinic in 4K

Let’s put it like this: Atlanta held Connecticut to 55 points and made them earn every inch of hardwood.

 

“If you’re being physical and making every shot tough,” Smesko said, “with a great player like [Tina Charles], you’re just hoping you can make them a little less efficient.”

Smesko’s being humble. They swallowed the Sun’s playbook and spit out regret. The Dream out-rebounded them 52–34 and outworked them on every loose ball.

“The team gets along very well,” Smesko added. “On and off the court. They have that team chemistry already.”

It showed.

Atlanta made Connecticut look like they hadn’t practiced. Like they weren’t ready. Like they forgot there was a shot clock.

And Atlanta? The Dream looked scary. Balanced. Focused. Borderline rude.

They’ve got size, length, a backcourt that can create, a frontcourt that can rebound, and vets that know when to hit the gas. They’re fun, they’re deep, and they just lit up a top-four team like it was a preseason scrimmage.

The Dream are legit. The Sun are in trouble.

The vibes are not immaculate in Connecticut.

Atlanta is coming. And they’re not asking for permission.

Otherwise, get ready for next game.