Late push by Dream seals 3rd straight loss for Mercury

Phoenix had a nine-point lead with 2:46 left before it missed four straight shots as Atlanta made five straight.

May 24, 2026, 3:02 PM Updated: May 25, 2026, 12:36 pm

Allisha Gray #15 of the Atlanta Dream goes to the basket against the Phoenix Mercury during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena on May 24, 2026 in College Park, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

ATLANTA (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 21 points, Allisha Gray added 17 and Angel Reese recorded her third double-double of the season as the Atlanta Dream used a late surge to beat the Phoenix Mercury 82-80 on Sunday.

Reese finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordin Canada had 11 points and 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.

The Dream (4-1) used a 9-0 run in a span of 85 seconds to tie the game at 73 with just over a minute remaining.

Canada was fouled on a drive to the basket and converted a free throw to give Atlanta the lead. Howard hit a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game with 24 seconds remaining. The Mercury’s Kahleah Copper hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, cutting their deficit to a point.

Reese was fouled and made one of the two shots, and the Dream recovered the rebound. Gray was fouled and made both free throws to give Atlanta an 82-78 edge.

Copper was fouled an a 3-point attempt and made two of three shots with 3.5 seconds remaining for the final two-point margin.

Copper and Alyssa Thomas each scored 20 for the Mercury (2-5). Jovana Nogic added 11, and Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds.

Kyara Linskins scored 10 points off the bench for the Mercury, who next have a trip to New York to face the Liberty on Wednesday.