Gray, McDonald rally Dream past Lynx 83-77

Allisha Gray scored 26 points, Aari McDonald gave Atlanta it’s first lead of the game in the final minute and the Dream scored the last 11 points of the game to rally past the Minnesota Lynx 83-77 on Tuesday night.

Atlanta, which trailed by 19 midway through the third quarter outscored the Lynx, who had one basket in the last 6-plus minutes, 24-10 in the fourth quarter, and 14-2 in the last 3:33.

Rookie Naz Hillmon, a second-round pick out of Michigan, added 13 points, all in the second half, for the the Dream (1-1) and Cheyenne Parker had 12.

Napheesa Collier scored 20 points for Minnesota (0-2) before she fouled out with 2:23 to play. Aerial Powers and Tiffany Mitchell both had 10 off the bench.

Collier scored the first 10 points of the third quarter for a 57-40 Lynx advantage and it was a 19-point lead at the midway mark before the Dream reeled off 14-straight to get back in the game. Kayla McBride ended Minnesota’s drought with a 3-pointer in the final minute and the Lynx led 67-59 entering the fourth quarter.

Rhyne Howard and Gray sandwiched 3-pointers around a Collier layup — Minnesota’s last points — to pull with 77-75 with just under three minutes to go. Monique Billings made two free throws at 2:34 to tie it, the first since 4-4. After the teams combined for seven empty possessions, McDonald capitalized on a Lynx turnover for Atlanta’s first lead with 42.5 seconds to go. The Dream added three free throws from there.