Aces Dominate, Dream Need Answers Without Rhyne

Las Vegas Aces 87, Atlanta Dream 72 – Postgame Breakdown

Las Vegas handled business at home with a strong 87–72 win over the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta was without their All-Star centerpiece Rhyne Howard, who’s averaging 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.6 steals. Despite the 15-point loss, Dream fans shouldn’t feel too discouraged. It was a respectable showing against a now-over-.500 Aces team, and the absence of Howard loomed large.

Atlanta Dream Takeaways 

Allisha Gray carried the offensive load, finishing with 24 points on 43% shooting, along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. She did so while wearing the Nike A’One All-Star

A'ja Wilson (left) and Allisha Gray (right) pose post game in their Nike A'one All-Star Edition sneakers

edition, continuing a strong run in those sneakers. She’s now averaging 18.5 points in 24 games in the A’Ones, including a career-high 32.

Jordin Canada added 12 points and held her own, but the Dream needed more from her with Howard out. The bench contributions were mixed—Shatori Walker-Kimbrough chipped in 7 points but continues to underwhelm overall. Te-Hina Paopao had 5 points in the fourth quarter but still hasn’t found consistent rhythm. Nia Coffey’s recent minutes have noticeably dipped despite a strong start to the season, raising questions about her role in the current rotation.

The biggest concern for Atlanta is post production. Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner combined for just 14 shots and were both held to single digits. The Dream only scored 22 points in the paint. They shot 9-of-27 from three. Coach Smesko has to consider whether their offense needs adjustments as they continue to stray away from their strengths inside and overly rely on three point shooting.

Las Vegas Aces Observations 

This was a balanced, team-focused win for the Aces. They had four players in double figures; A’ja Wilson (24), Jackie Young (14), Dana Evans (14), and NaLyssa Smith (11). Jackie Young continues to impress with her decision-making. She led the team in assists, ending the game with 7. With Chelsea Gray becoming more of a score first guard, this type of facilitating may be what the Aces need in their starting lineup.

Dana Evans drive to the basket on Atlanta Dream guard, Jordin Canada

Dana Evans

Evans was a real spark plug. With Vegas trailing by 7 early in the second quarter, Evans scored the first 9 points of the period to help dig the Aces out of that hole, giving them the lead before halftime. She ended the night with 14 points in just 23 minutes, tying her season high for points in a quarter with 11.

A’ja Wilson 

Wilson was her usual dominant self; 24 points on 50% shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. This was her 108th career double-double, which now ranks 6th in WNBA history. When asking Wilson what she'd like to focus on for the 2nd half of the season she said, "Getting to my spots and making it easy... because right now, it's not easy."

Jewell Loyd didn’t shoot well (3/11) but made her presence felt with 3 steals. Gray added 9 points and 5 assists, giving Vegas yet another steadying presence in the backcourt.

Las Vegas’ defense was locked in, forcing 19 turnovers and converting them into 24 points. They only gave up 5 points off their own 13 turnovers and recorded 13 steals, including several live-ball turnovers that turned into easy buckets. They also won the rebounding battle in the second and fourth quarters after being out-boarded early.

Kiah Stokes only played 9 minutes but made them count with 2 blocks and 4 boards, moving her to 5th in franchise history in blocked shots (117). That said, as NaLyssa Smith gets more comfortable in Vegas’ system and Megan Gustafson continues to provide productive minutes (2 threes, strong interior presence), Stokes' minutes may remain situational.

Coaching & Rotation Notes

Becky Hammon made it clear postgame that the goal is to maintain balanced rotations and keep players fresh. If Vegas can continue to get this level of production from role players like Evans, Gustafson, and Aaliyah Nye, it’ll be easier to manage minutes during this dense stretch of 22 games in the next 50 days.

Looking Ahead 

The Dream fall to 13-10 and risk hitting .500 while Rhyne Howard remains out through the rest of July. For the Aces, now 12-11, this was a confidence-builder heading into a four-game road swing. They'll start with a back-to-back at Indiana (July 24) and Minnesota (July 25).