By Milton Kirby | Washington, D.C. | October 1, 2026

The Atlanta Dream spent much of Wednesday night battling foul trouble, a rebounding deficit and a Washington Mystics team that kept threatening to take control.

Each time, Atlanta found an answer.

The biggest came in the fourth quarter.

The Dream responded to Washington cutting its lead to three with 13 unanswered points and pulled away for a 93-75 victory at CareFirst Arena, completing a two-game sweep and advancing to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018.

The victory also marked Atlanta’s first playoff series win since 2016.

“All we cared about was winning and advancing, and everyone did their part,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said.

They did.

All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures, led by Allisha Gray with 22 points.

Jordin Canada finished with 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for her third career postseason double-double. More importantly, she scored 13 points in the fourth quarter when Atlanta needed them most.

“JC hit a lot of big baskets for us tonight,” Gray said. “She’s really our engine. She played so great for us.”

The final score did not reflect how challenging the night became for Atlanta.

Washington Keeps Coming

The Dream built a 13-point lead during the first half, but Washington closed the second quarter with a run that cut Atlanta’s advantage to 41-35 at halftime.

Atlanta shot just 34.4 percent in the first half and was being dominated on the boards.

Defense kept the Dream in control.

Washington committed 11 first-half turnovers, which Atlanta converted into 15 points.

Then foul trouble complicated matters.

Angel Reese picked up her third foul with 8:30 remaining in the third quarter and her fourth a little more than two minutes later.

Canada picked up her fourth with 3:53 remaining in the period.

Rhyne Howard was called for her fourth with 44 seconds left.

Washington took advantage, closing the quarter on a 10-2 run and cutting Atlanta’s lead to 65-58.

Howard and Reese returned to begin the fourth quarter. On Washington’s first possession, Howard was called for her fifth foul.

She stayed in the game.

Then the Mystics grabbed two offensive rebounds to extend a possession that ended with a layup.

Atlanta’s lead was down to three.

The Dream had reached the kind of moment that had caused problems before.

“I think last year we would get big leads, and then we would lose them, and then we would lose the game,” Canada 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.”

On Wednesday, Atlanta closed.

The Run That Changed the Game

Reese started the response with a layup.

Naz Hillmon followed with four points. Reese made two free throws. Howard knocked down a long jumper.

Then Canada buried a 3-pointer.

In a matter of minutes, a three-point Atlanta lead had become a 16-point advantage.

The Dream had scored 13 unanswered points.

Washington’s comeback was over.

Canada’s fourth-quarter performance helped turn what had become a tense road playoff game into an 18-point victory.

Howard and Reese each finished with 15 points, while Hillmon added 10.

Reese also had seven rebounds and three blocks. Howard added four assists and two steals.

Atlanta found ways to win despite being outrebounded 42-27. Washington’s Kiki Iriafen grabbed 16 rebounds, while Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 25 points.

But the Dream made Washington pay for its mistakes.

Atlanta forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 23 points while committing only eight turnovers of its own.

The Dream also made 13 3-pointers while shooting 40.6 percent from behind the arc, tying the franchise postseason record for 3-pointers in a game. Atlanta shot 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.

The numbers told the story of a team that did not need everything to go right to win.

Finishing the Series

Atlanta entered Washington with a chance to close the series after winning Game 1, 92-77, at State Farm Arena.

That opening victory was powered largely by defensive pressure. The Dream overcame an 11-point deficit, forced 23 turnovers and recorded a franchise postseason-record 16 steals.

Game 2 presented a different challenge.

This time, Atlanta had the lead and had to protect it.

Washington won the rebounding battle. The Mystics attacked while Atlanta’s starters accumulated fouls. And when the Dream appeared ready to pull away, Washington repeatedly worked its way back into the game.

But Atlanta never surrendered the lead.

The Dream won the first quarter 24-17, carried a six-point advantage into halftime and entered the fourth ahead by seven.

When Washington made its final push, Atlanta answered with its biggest run of the night.

That response completed the sweep.

Back to the Semifinals

Atlanta will now face New York in a best-of-five semifinal series beginning Sunday at State Farm Arena.

The Dream will host Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, Game 5.

It is another milestone in a season that has already included 30 regular-season victories, tying the franchise record, and home-court advantage in the opening round.

But Wednesday’s victory may have demonstrated something that will matter even more as the competition gets tougher.

Atlanta showed it could win when the game became uncomfortable.

The Dream was outrebounded.

Three starters battled serious foul trouble.

A double-digit advantage dwindled to three.

And with its season not yet in danger but its control of the game suddenly threatened, Atlanta responded with 13 straight points.

Canada had seen the alternative before.

This time was different.

The Dream had learned how to close.

And for the first time since 2018, Atlanta is headed to the WNBA semifinals.

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