Dream vs. Tempo: Rhyne Howard Scores 20, Rookie Madina Okot Adds 18 as Atlanta Wins Fourth Straight

Madina Okot's previous best in the WNBA was 14 points. She had 16 by halftime on Monday night.

The rookie finished with 18 off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting, Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 20, Allisha Gray added 18, and the Dream held on for a 94-87 win over the Toronto Tempo at State Farm Arena. It was Atlanta's fourth straight victory, and it was a lot less close than that final score wants you to believe, at least until the last seven minutes.

Fifteen Straight, Then Cruise Control, Then Oops

Toronto hung around for about five minutes. It was 16-8 Atlanta with 5:05 left in the first, a manageable deficit against a good team. Then the faucet turned on. The Dream scored the next 15 points, the lead hit 23 by the 1:48 mark, and the opening period ended 33-15. The Tempo never held a lead at any point on the night.

The second quarter was an even 26-26, which actually counts as progress for Toronto, but Gray and Okot had each reached 16 by the break and the score was 59-41. The Tempo cut it down a bit coming out of halftime before Atlanta put together another 10-0 run, going from 66-54 to 76-54. A Howard 3 with 5:21 left in the third made it 71-54 in the middle of that burst. Atlanta then closed the third and opened the fourth on an 8-0 run, and at 87-65 with 7:06 to go, this looked like a stroll.

Then the Dream got a little too comfortable. Toronto ripped off eight straight, Marina Mabrey capping it with a layup at the 4:53 mark. Howard's 23-footer at 4:30 seemed to end the discussion at 90-73, except the Tempo kept coming, getting to the line over and over and hitting free throws. Laura Juskaite made three in the final two minutes, Kia Nurse added a technical free throw, and Nurse's 24-foot 3 with 57.9 seconds left made it 94-87.

That was as close as it got. But from 87-65, Toronto won the rest of the game 22-7, and Atlanta scored just 13 points in the fourth. The Tempo finished 22-of-28 at the line against Atlanta's 17-of-21, which explains how a team can lose the paint by 12 and still finish within seven. Atlanta needed that early cushion, too, since it took 78 shots to Toronto's 62 and shot a point worse from the field, 44 percent to 45. Nobody in Atlanta will lose sleep over it, but a team sitting where the Dream sit will want that one on the film session agenda.

Okot's Breakout and the Grown-Ups in the Room

Okot played only 18 minutes, which makes her line more ridiculous. She hit 7 of her 9 shots, went 4-of-5 at the line and pulled down seven rebounds, and the Tempo never found an answer for her in the first half. Her previous best was 14, and she topped it with room to spare.

Howard's 20 came on 7-of-17 shooting, with 5-of-11 from deep and seven rebounds, though she finished with six fouls. Gray's shooting line was shaky at 5-of-15, but she went 7-of-8 at the line, collected five steals and finished plus-23. Only Jordin Canada was better, at plus-24, and she ran the whole operation with 13 assists and 11 points, making it two straight double-doubles. Angel Reese added 11 points and nine rebounds, working through 4-of-13 shooting, and Naz Hillmon gave Atlanta six points on 3-of-4. The late wobble showed up on the bench: Te-Hina Paopao and Isobel Borlase each finished minus-19, while Okot herself ended up just plus-1 despite that huge line.

Toronto wasn't without bright spots. Mabrey scored 23 on 8-of-17 shooting, Isabelle Harrison put up 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Temi Fagbenle scored 10 off the bench before finishing with six fouls. Nyara Sabally blocked four shots, Juskaite scored eight with only one made field goal, and Nurse's 15 minutes off the bench came with a plus-22 that shows how different the Tempo looked once the reserves got rolling.

The Run That Decided It

Everything Toronto did late only looks good until you go back to the first quarter. In 3:17 of game time, the Dream turned a workable eight-point game into a 23-point one. Toronto spent the next 32 minutes paying the bill. The Tempo actually outscored Atlanta 72-61 after the first quarter. The 18-point deficit from those opening 10 minutes was the difference, and then some.

Stats That Matter

• 33-15: The first-quarter score, which was the entire ballgame.
• 50-38: Atlanta's edge in the paint, even with Toronto blocking six shots.
• 22-17: The Dream's advantage in points off turnovers, with Toronto giving it away 17 times.
• 13 of 23: Canada's share of Atlanta's assists.
• Zero: Lead changes. Atlanta was in front for 99 percent of the game.

What It Means

Atlanta improves to 12-4 and 6-2 at home. The Dream have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, a stretch that has put them at the top of the Eastern Conference, and this four-game winning streak has come against Toronto twice and Indiana twice. They travel to Golden State for a Wednesday game.

The Dream also dropped 113 on the Fever on Saturday, so nobody should worry much about one sleepy fourth quarter. Toronto drops to 8-9 and 4-6 on the road, and it has now lost both meetings with Atlanta this season, including a 102-77 loss on June 14. The Tempo had beaten Connecticut 101-97 on Friday, and they get a chance to bounce back at home against the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.

Give the Rookie Her Own Episode

Atlanta already had the stars on this roster. Monday felt like the moment in a prestige drama when a supporting character suddenly gets a whole episode built around her, and you realize the writers might have bigger plans. Okot doubled down on that by outplaying her previous best before halftime. Don't be shocked if she gets renewed.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.