ATLANTA (AP) – Nalissa Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Indiana Fever snap a 20-game losing streak with the NBA with a 90-87 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
Fever has lost 20 in a row[دت بك]To last season to connect[تولسا]The shock of consecutive losses[ألّ-تيم]. Indiana lost its last 18 games last season before losing its first two games of the year.
The game featured seven draws and 20 lead changes and the score hung in the balance when Phifer made a successful challenge to the coach with 16.7 seconds left while leading 88-87.
After Indiana fell short, Alyssa Gray took a long quick rebound in the bottomcourt and drove to Kelsey Mitchell. A foul was called but Fever head coach Christie Sides challenged it. After review, the officials determined that there was not enough contact to justify a foul.
Indiana got the ball out of bounds and after a foul, Mitchell made the offensive rebound and was fouled. She made two free throws with 13.2 seconds left and Ryan Howard was just off the mark for the Atlanta 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Mitchell scored 15 points and No. 1 draft pick Alia Boston added 13 points for Indiana (1-2).
Howard led Atlanta (1-2) with 23 points, Cheyenne Gray with 21 points and Gray with 19 points.
Gray gave Atlanta their last lead at 82-81 with a 3-pointer but Vivian responded 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 end.
The Dream went 16-of-19 from the foul streak, outscoring the Fever by a dozen goals, to open up a 47-41 lead at the half. Atlanta finished 29 of 34 for a 20-plus at the bar but edged out 41-29.
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