Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko was delighted with how his side guarded against the Los Angeles Sparks' attempted comeback in the WNBA on Wednesday.

The Dream moved into sole possession of second place in the WNBA standings after their 86-75 win, moving a half-game ahead of the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury with three games remaining.

Rhyne Howard scored 19 points while Brionna Jones added 16 points and 13 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season. Jordin Canada got her first double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

Atlanta were able to thank a strong first half for the win, taking a 53-41 lead into the break, and Smesko said he was wary of dropping off too much in the second half.

"I thought there were really good moments in the second half and some moments of sloppiness," he said.

"We were getting cute with things instead of executing them. I think you have to guard against that at all times. This LA team is really explosive.

"In the last game against Seattle, they would not quit and came all the way back and won the game. As soon as you start to relax, they start feeling they're really good, and their defense picks up.

"It's almost like, not every day, but a few times a week, someone's coming back from 15-0 down, and you have to go possession by possession."

DREAM WIN! #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/6CZbMN0wec

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) September 4, 2025

While Atlanta won for the fifth time in six games, Los Angeles trail the Indiana Fever by a game and a half for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Dream play Los Angeles again on Friday, and Smesko is pleased to have had a confidence boost with Wednesday’s victory.

"[It was a] good win for us," he said. "We had a really good second quarter, and we were better defensively.

"Obviously, it was a tough start, but we kept our composure; we knew there was a lot of time left.

"LA is competing really hard right now; they want that last playoff spot. It was really nice for us to be able to get the win."