Dream coach Michael Cooper wasn’t going to let his point guard be “mediocre.”
Behind court general Layshia Clarendon’s career-high 27 points, the Dream beat down the Indiana Fever 89-68 Friday night at McCamish Pavilion.
“I thought this was a very good game that we played,” Cooper said. “What we talked about in shoot-around today is our energy, our effort. Going back looking at the film in the season, every game we’ve won, it’s always because we gave high energy and a great amount of effort in the beginning of the games to get off to good starts.”
The Dream (7-8) had lost seven of nine entering Friday. It surrendered 82 or more points in six of those games. But Friday was its best defensive showing of the season.
Atlanta limited Indiana to 68 points, 2-for-13 (15 percent) from beyond the arc, 26 rebounds and two second chance points; all season-best numbers for the Dream defense.
“We switch up our defenses a lot,” Clarendon said. “So that’s the most effective thing … As a point guard, that’s really hard to execute against because you’re constantly changing and you can’t get a rhythm … I think it’s hard for an offense to find a flow.”
Clarendon, whom Atlanta acquired from Indiana a season ago, matched her career-high for points (19) in the first half. She led all scorers with 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting, while tying her career high in rebounds (eight).
“Coop was riding me before the game,” she said. “I think that helped me some … A little bit of credit to him for just riding me and then just me realizing I have to attack. The team goes as I go. That’s a lot of pressure to carry, but it’s a big honor as a leader.”
She added Cooper said he wouldn’t let her development stagnate, and had been especially tough on her in recent weeks. Cooper benched Clarendon after two quick turnovers Wednesday in Dallas.
“Layshia, she’s an extension of me,” Cooper said. “So a lot of the time, when we’re not playing well, she catches the bulk of that negative energy sometimes. I have to give her credit because she’s established the way we’re going to play. Every time she does that, we usually have a good basketball game.
“When she does a good job with floor leadership, leading us out there offensively and defensively, we’re a good basketball team.”
Indiana (7-9) didn’t regain the lead after jumping ahead 12-11 at the 3:42 mark of the first quarter. It finished the period 6-for-20. Atlanta shot 9-for-18 in the same span, going up 21-13.
The Dream used a 12-2 spurt to extend its lead to 43-24 with 3:12 before half. It hit seven consecutive field goals. The Fever weathered the storm by converting six of its last seven shots, trimming the halftime deficit to 48-38.
Atlanta held Indiana to 43 percent (20 percent on 3-pointers) shooting in the first half. The Fever had an ounce of hope in the third, pulling as close as 59-51 after a Cooper technical foul. The Dream turned around to hold Indiana to 1-for-10 to close the quarter and end the threat.
Cooper said the stout defense allowed the team to attack off misses, which is when it’s at its best.
“I thought we did a good job with our defense,” he said. “Mixing it up with our man and a couple of zones we threw at them had them a little confused. At times I was confused with what we were doing. But you know what, when you’re doing that and you’re moving around and you’ve got good deflections on contested shots, when they miss that’s a chance for us to do what we do well.”
The Dream hosts Dallas on Sunday before a west road trip takes it to Phoenix and Seattle.
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