Surging Dream pull away late, top Sparks to maintain 2-seed

Rhyne Howard scored a team-high 19 points to help the red-hot Atlanta Dream post an 86-75 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday in College Park, Ga.

Brionna Jones added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta (27-14), which won its third straight and its fifth in six tries. Maya Caldwell scored 14 points off the bench, while Naz Hillmon had 15 points and Jordin Canada totaled 10 points and 10 assists.

Los Angeles (19-21) was led by Dearica Hamby's 21 points and nine rebounds, followed by Kelsey Plum's 18 points and seven assists. Rickea Jackson chipped in 15 points for the Sparks, who trail the Indiana Fever by 1 1/2 games for the final playoff spot. Los Angeles will meet the Dream again in College Park on Friday.

After trailing by 12 points at halftime, Los Angeles pulled within eight on Hamby's back-to-back baskets, cutting the Sparks' deficit to 55-47 at the 8:08 mark of the third quarter.

Plum and Te-Hina Paopao traded baskets for the final scoring of the third, as Atlanta took a 71-60 edge in the final quarter.

The Sparks pulled within 10 in the fourth, but a 6-0 Atlanta run - capped by a Hillmon 3-pointer -- gave the Dream their largest lead at 82-66 with 6:03 remaining, putting the game out of reach.

After Los Angeles scored the game's first 10 points and later led 21-14 in the opening quarter, the Dream answered with a 12-3 run -- stamped with Caldwell and Brittney Griner's baskets -- to take a 26-24 lead into the second quarter.

Atlanta continued its run from there, expanding its advantage to 35-25 after Jones' three-point play pushed the Dream's edge to double figures with 8:31 left in the first half. Paopao followed with a layup for Atlanta, forcing a Sparks timeout.

The Dream's first-half lead grew to as many as 14 and Atlanta entered halftime with a 53-41 edge. Howard and Hamby led their respective teams with 12 first-half points apiece.

--Field Level Media