How Te-Hina Paopao’s energy carried the Atlanta Dream in tough first half vs. Valkyries

Paopao injects an electric energy every time she steps on the court, lifting her teammates and igniting the kind of plays that can turn a game. On Sunday, against a tough, defense-first Golden State Valkyries squad riding a four-game winning streak — the fifth stop of Atlanta’s current six-game road trip — the rookie point guard provided exactly the spark the Dream needed. 

Paopao delivered sparks that swung momentum and lifted Atlanta (22-12) to a 79-63 victory against Golden State (18-16), securing the Dream’s league-best 12th road win and keeping them firmly in second place in the WNBA standings. The Dream led by as many as 22 points and cruised to a 16-point win. But the result might not have been possible without Paopao’s energy and early production setting the tone in the first half.

“[Te’Hina] Paopao is explosive when she gets in,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said postgame. “She’s somebody you really have to respect once she gets on the floor.”

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Paopao closed with 10 points — her eighth double-digit effort of the season — along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Seven of those points came in the first half when Atlanta managed only 25 total against Golden State’s punishing defense. 

While the Dream’s starters — a group featuring three-time All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, Maya Caldwell and four-time All-Star Brionna Jones, playing only their third game together — combined for a meager eight points (3-of-21) before halftime, it was Paopao who helped keep Atlanta afloat. Her seven first-half points — along with six from Brittney Griner and four from Nia Coffey —  fueled a bench unit that supplied 17 of the Dream’s 25 before the break.

“She brings so much energy to this team,” Hillmon said postgame. “[She’s] fearless, she comes on to the court [and] owns what she does well,” Hillmon said postgame. “If anybody gives her a pointer [to improve], she’s ready. She’s trying to change it [correct the issue] the next game or next practice. … ready to learn every single day.”

Paopao broke through Atlanta’s early scoring drought with the team’s lone 3-pointer of the first quarter, then followed it up in the second with a pair of smooth floaters that punctuated two different Dream runs before halftime. After the break, she struck again, drilling a momentum-shifting three during a 15-6 surge that gave the Dream breathing room and set the stage for a commanding road win.

Paopao has made a habit of delivering in big moments. Three of her eight double-figure scoring nights have come in the Dream’s last 10 games, a stretch where Atlanta has caught fire, winning eight since its July 27 road win against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. 

She erupted for 12 points and drilled 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in a win on Aug. 7 against the Chicago Sky, one of just three games this season where she logged 30-plus minutes. A week earlier in Dallas, she nearly posted a triple-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a career-high 37 minutes to help the Dream take down the Wings on the road.

“Any opportunity somebody turns her back for a second, there’s a long rebound, and they’re no longer attached [to her], she’s [Paopao] going to go find an opening where she can get the ball, call for it and she’s ready to knock it down,” Smesko said about Paopao back in June. “She’s got a very quick release. If you just give her a couple feet, she can get that thing off … She’s ready.”

With 10 games left in the regular season — and a tough road test Tuesday against the Las Vegas Aces, winners of nine of their last 10 and riding a seven-game streak — the Dream know their defense has to carry them for a full 40 minutes.

Atlanta has thrived when it locks down, posting a 12-3 overall record and a 7-2 mark on the road when holding opponents under 80 points. That identity shows in the numbers. The Dream enter Tuesday ranked third in points allowed per game (77.6), second in defensive rating (99.5), first in both defensive rebounds (28) and rebound percentage (74%) and fifth in blocks (4.3). Opponents rarely run wild against them, too, averaging just 8.4 fastbreak points and 13.1 points off turnovers.

Even in their last 10 outings — a stretch that included Friday’s loss to Seattle — Atlanta hasn’t lost its defensive edge. The Dream remain second in defensive rating, first in the glasswork, fourth in limiting second-chance opportunities (10), third in points off turnovers allowed and second in fastbreak defense (6.7). It’s a formula that has played a key role in Atlanta being steady in the standings, even when the offense isn’t always perfect. 

And according to Paopao and Hillmon, the Dream’s defense will remain the key factor that continues to elevate Atlanta into a championship contender.

“It’s a different world out there on the defensive end when you’re on the island with best players in the world,” Paopao said on Aug. 1 ahead of the Dream’s win against the Phoenix Mercury. “… I’m still learning to get over ball screens. … I’m tired of ball screens [laughs], but at the end of the day, I got to get over ball screens and just be there for my teammates because I know they’re depending on me to guard my yard.”

Hillmon agrees: “… I think defensively, we’ve gotten a lot better, obviously, up and down with who’s on the floor[starting in the game],” the Dream forward said postgame. “… We’ve had a lot of changes this year as everyone in the league. … I think our defense is a big part of what has changed and grown for us.”

On a night when Atlanta’s stars struggled to find rhythm in the first half, Paopao’s spark — steady, fearless and perfectly timed — played a key role in carrying the Dream through a gritty test in San Francisco, reminding everyone why her energy is important in Atlanta’s quest to win a WNBA championship this season.