Fever end WNBA-record 20-game losing streak with tight win over Dream

NaLyssa Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Indiana Fever end a WNBA record-tying 20-game losing streak with a 90-87 win over the host Atlanta Dream on Sunday.

The Fever had lost 20 in a row dating back to last season to tie the Tulsa Shock for the most consecutive losses all-time. Indiana lost its final 18 games last season before dropping its first two this year.

The game featured seven ties and 20 lead changes and the outcome was hanging in the balance when the Fever had a successful coach's challenge with 16.7 seconds left while holding an 88-87 lead.

After an Indiana miss, Alyssa Gray took the long rebound quickly downcourt and drove on Kelsey Mitchell. A foul was called but Fever coach Christie Sides challenged it. After a review, officials determined there wasn't enough contact to warrant a foul.

Indiana got the ball out of bounds and after a miss, Mitchell snared the offensive rebound and was fouled. She made two free throws with 13.2 seconds left and Rhyne Howard was well off the mark for an Atlanta 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Mitchell scored 15 points and No. 1 overall draft pick Aliyah Boston added 13 for Indiana (1-2).

Gray gave Atlanta its last lead at 82-81 with a 3-pointer but Vivian Vivians answered that with a 3, her only basket of the game, with 3:57 to play. Smith's basket with less than 50 seconds to go put the Fever up 88-85 before Howard made two free throws, setting up the finish.

The Dream went 16 of 19 from the foul line, outscoring the Fever by a dozen, to open a 47-41 lead at the half. Atlanta finished 29 of 34 for a plus-20 at the stripe but was outrebounded 41-29.

Aces blow out Lynx

Jackie Young scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, Chelsea Gray added 19 points and 10 assists and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Minnesota Lynx 94-73 Sunday night.

The Aces (4-0) tied the franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season. The organization, which started as the Utah Starzz (1999-2005) before moving to San Antonio (2006-17) and finally relocating to Las Vegas in 2018, also won its first four games of the 2011 season.

Minnesota (0-4) has lost its first four games in each of the last three seasons.

A'ja Wilson scored 21 points for the Aces. Kelsey Plum and Alysha Clark added 11 points apiece.

Wilson made a layup that gave the Aces the lead for good midway through the first quarter, Candace Parker followed with a 3-pointer and Kelsey Plum made a pull-up jumper before Wilson scored inside to cap a 9-0 that made it 18-11 about two minutes later.

Napheesa Collier had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota and Tiffany Mitchell added 16 points. Diamond Miller, picked No. 2 overall in the 2023 WNBA draft, scored a season-high 14 points and Rachel Banham 12. Jessica Shepard had a season-high 15 rebounds and tied her season best with seven assists to go along with four points.

Las Vegas had 25 assists on 32 made field goals, made 14 3-pointers and hit 16 of 17 from the free-throw line.

Sky defeat Wings

Marina Mabrey had season highs with 23 points and eight assists, Alanna Smith had her first career double-double and the Chicago Sky beat the Dallas Wings 94-88 on Sunday night.

Smith scored six of her 14 points in the final two-plus minutes and finished with 12 rebounds and six assists — both career highs.

Kahleah Copper scored 16 points, Dana Evans 14 and Courtney Williams had 12 with 11 rebounds and five assists for Chicago. Sika Kone, a 20-year-old rookie, had 10 points and six rebounds. The 6-foot-3 forward was a third-round pick by the New York but was waived by Liberty on May 16.

Crystal Dangerfield hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas (2-1) a 71-70 lead early in the fourth quarter but Evans answered with a pull-up jumper and then a fadeaway, Copper put back her own miss before Smith made a jumper to cap a 9-0 spurt with 6:46 to play and the Sky led the rest of the way.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 27 points and Satou Sabally had 24 points and eights rebounds for Dallas. Natasha Howard added 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Dangerfield finished with 11 points and five assists.

Mabrey, in her fifth-year season out of Notre Dame, spent the past three seasons with the Wings before being sent to Chicago (3-1) in a four-team trade in February to provide scoring punch to the new-look Sky. A second-round pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2019, the guard averaged double figures season in Dallas, including a career-high 13.6 in 2022.