The Atlanta Dream are back in the WNBA semifinals. Atlanta defeated the Washington Mystics 93-75 Wednesday night at CareFirst Arena to complete a 2-0 first-round sweep and advance beyond the opening round for the first time since 2018. The victory also marked Atlanta's first playoff series win since 2016. After being eliminated in the first round in each of the previous three seasons, including a 2-1 loss to Indiana last year, the fourth-seeded Dream finally broke through and earned a spot in the best-of-five semifinals against the eighth-seeded New York Liberty.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 22 points, but Jordin Canada became the difference-maker when the game was on the line. Canada scored 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper during the decisive stretch. She also finished with 11 assists, seven rebounds and three steals, helping Atlanta answer a Washington comeback that had cut the deficit to 65-62 in the third quarter. The Dream responded with a 13-0 run, turning a close game into a decisive victory. “JC hit a lot of big baskets for us tonight,” Gray said. “She's really our engine.” Head coach Karl Smesko similarly praised Canada's ability to create offense when Atlanta needed it most.
The victory was particularly significant because Atlanta had to withstand another strong rebounding performance from Washington and a difficult stretch of foul trouble. Rhyne Howard scored 15 points before fouling out, Angel Reese added 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Naz Hillmon scored 10. The Dream forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 23 points while making 13 3-pointers, tying the franchise postseason record. Washington's Sonia Citron led all scorers with 25 points, while Kiki Iriafen posted 15 points and 16 rebounds. Iriafen also became the first player in Mystics franchise history to record a first-half double-double in a playoff game.
The loss ended a significant season for Washington despite the first-round exit. The Mystics finished with a franchise-record 28 victories and returned to the playoffs for the first time since their 2019 championship season. Citron finished her second season with 25 points in both games of the series, making her just the second player in WNBA history to score at least 25 points in each of her first two career playoff games. Kiki Iriafen's 30 rebounds over the two games were the second-most ever by a WNBA player in her first two playoff appearances. Washington also became the first team in franchise history to post a 15-plus rebound advantage in both games of a playoff series, but 19 turnovers ultimately proved costly.
For Atlanta, the next challenge is considerably larger: New York. The Liberty arrive after becoming the first No. 8 seed in the WNBA's 30-year history to eliminate a No. 1 seed, sweeping Minnesota 2-0. Atlanta will host Game 1 of the semifinals Sunday at State Farm Arena, with Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, Game 5 scheduled in Atlanta. “All we cared about was winning and advancing, and everyone did their part,” Smesko said after the sweep. Canada said the team's growth was evident in the way it handled Washington's late push: “I think last year we would get big leads, and then we would lose them, and then we would lose the game,” she said. “And I think this season we really put an emphasis on making sure we're doing the things that we need to do to close out games.”
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