Over the next five minutes, the Dream held the Fever to just six points while Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard provided enough offense to cut the deficit to three at the end of the first quarter.
“Our mindset was we wanted to punch first, and we knew it would be a dog fight,” Howard told reporters postgame. “I think that helped us even with the slow start because we still were able to combat what they were doing [offensively].”
That momentum carried into the second, where wing Maya Caldwell delivered a spark off the bench.
With the score tied at 26 at the 5:35 mark, Caldwell fronted Aliyah Boston in the post, then rotated to the weak side to swat Natasha Howard’s drive at the rim. Atlanta ran the other way, pushing the pace for an easy Nia Coffey layup.
“I believe defense wins games, and that’s something we bought into early in the season,” Caldwell told The Next pregame. “We know we have to destroy space, and we take pride in our 1-on-1 defense, as well as how we help each other to make sure everything comes together.”
Atlanta forced Indiana deep into the shot clock in the half-court, flooding the gaps on every drive and contesting nearly every shot.
The Fever shot just 4-for-17 from the field in the second quarter, with only two field goals coming from players outside of Mitchell. This allowed the Dream to build a 40-33 lead entering the break.
“In the second quarter, I thought we started to settle in,” Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko said. “We forced a lot more tough shots, and we forced a few more turnovers. We really needed it because the first five minutes were rough.”
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Atlanta’s defense stayed relentless early in the second half, as All-Star center Brionna Jones was physical with Boston in the post, forcing her to pass out to Lexie Hull, only for Howard to cut off Hull’s drive and force a shot clock violation.
The Fever outscored the Dream 20-18 in the third quarter, but with Natasha Howard and Boston held to a combined 0-for-2 from the field, and three turnovers from Howard, Indiana couldn’t create any separation.
“Their physicality took us out of our rhythm,” Indiana head coach Stephanie White said postgame. “They’re fast, they’re long, and they make you work throughout entire possessions.”
Despite outscoring Atlanta in the third, Indiana entered the fourth trailing by just five. But foul trouble struck early, with Boston picking up her fifth foul with 8:58 remaining in the game. This, combined with two technicals called on Indiana’s Odyssey Sims and White, gave Atlanta the edge.
The Dream opened the quarter with a 9-0 run, and with Boston on the bench, Atlanta pulled away as Naz Hillmon and Howard combined for 16 fourth-quarter points. The Dream held on to win 80-68 and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
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Atlanta’s defense was the story of the game. While Mitchell scored a game-high 27 points, the Dream limited the rest of Indiana’s rotation to just 28.9% from the field and 7.1% from three. Indiana managed only nine points in transition, well below their season average (14.5 points), according to Synergy Sports.
The Dream’s defense, from its on-ball pressure in the backcourt to its rim protection, helped hold the Fever to just 44% at the rim and limited second-chance opportunities to pick up the win.
Atlanta will travel to Indiana for Game 2 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
