Dream coast past Sky to get leg up on final playoff berth

Jordin Canada scored a team-high 18 points, leading the host Atlanta Dream to an 86-70 win over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night.

Tina Charles added 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds as Atlanta (14-25) won its second straight game. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard each added 15 points for the Dream.

Rachel Banham led the Sky (13-26) with 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Lindsay Allen had 16 points and Isabelle Harrison tallied 13 points and 11 boards as Chicago dropped its fourth straight.

Atlanta and Chicago began Tuesday in a three-way tie with Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot. After Washington (13-26) lost to the New York Liberty and the Dream defeated the Sky on Tuesday, Atlanta holds a one-game edge with one regular-season game remaining for all three teams.

Washington hosts the Indiana Fever on Thursday, the same day Atlanta plays at New York while Chicago visits the Connecticut Sun.

After the Sky fell into a 56-41 hole in the third quarter, Banham's step-back triple and Allen's layup cut Chicago's deficit to 10 at the 3:46 mark of the frame.

Atlanta got its lead back up to 12, but Allen hit four straight free throws to get the Sky within 60-52 going into the fourth quarter.

With the hosts leading 63-54, Gray found Charles for a layup with 7:23 remaining in the game, forcing a Chicago timeout. Banham answered with a 3-pointer that was followed by Charles' midrange jumper.

After a pair of Canada free throws, Banham continued her heat check with a floater. Canada then knocked down a trey, giving the Dream a 72-59 lead with 5:12 remaining.

Atlanta held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, and Howard's 3-pointer with 1:28 left gave the Dream an 82-68 lead to ice the game.

In the first quarter, Atlanta trailed 12-11 before Maya Caldwell's putback started an 11-2 run. The Dream led 22-14 entering the second.

Charles began the second with a pair of free throws, then Nia Coffey sank a jumper, giving the Dream a 26-14 lead with 9:04 left in the first half.

Charles' hook shot came before four straight points from Gray to extend Atlanta's commanding lead to 38-21 with 3:08 remaining before the break.

Atlanta had a 46-32 cushion at intermission.

--Field Level Media