We are in for an eventful WNBA playoffs if things go about as they started in Game 1 of the First-Round matchups. The evening saw the Atlanta Dream’s home victory against the Washington Mystics thanks to the trio of Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray. Even new veteran addition DeWanna Bonner contributed.
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The night concluded with the Golden State Valkyries’ overall bombardment of three-pointers, getting the W over the Dallas Wings. With both the higher seeds getting the job done, let us take a look at what went down on day 1 of the WNBA playoffs.
Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard lost her shoe!
Fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream might have gone under the radar with all recent conversations around the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, and the Indiana Fever, but head coach Karl Smesko’s side showed the world why they are among the favorites to win it all after beating the Mystics 92-77 at home.
Rhyne Howard was the center of one of the most memorable moments of the night. With 6:55 left in the fourth quarter, Howard was picked by the Mystics’ Cotie McMahon after trying to bring the ball up the court. Regardless, the player drove into the paint after using teammate Madina Okot as a screen and successfully made the layup. In this process, Howard lost her shoe after being fouled by McMahon.
Howard and Allisha Gray were at their usual best once again. The 26-year-old had a game-high 26 points and five steals, while Gray added 22 points.
Valkyries overpower the Wings
The Golden State Valkyries have saved their best for the playoffs, and Game 1 against the Wings was proof of that. With the 104-80 victory, the Valkyries have recorded the most points in franchise history.
Not only that, but the Valkyries also tie their franchise record for scoring 18 three-pointers in a single game.
“It’s really hard for teams to match up correctly or get into them if we’re pushing [the pace] at a good rate,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said.
The game was almost done and dusted in the second quarter itself, as the Valkyries scored 37 as opposed to the Wings’ 11. While head coach Jose Fernandez’s side tried to retaliate in the following quarters, the gap was already too large.
“A 37-point quarter is insane work. They got whatever they wanted.” Paige Bueckers said.
It was Bueckers’ first career playoff game, and she tried her best to make an impact. The second-year guard scored 21 points and six rebounds, the most in a team that was unable to record more than 11 points apart from her. In fact, Bueckers outscored all of her teammates combined in the first half of the game. Star player Jessica Shephard had one of her worst outings, scoring no points with 0-of-7 from the field.
Social media went ablaze over this stat, and WNBA journalist Drake Keeler of The IX Sports was quick to highlight this worry for the Wings as the game went on.
“Terrible stuff from Wings players not named Paige Bueckers. The second-year guard has 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Everyone else? 4-for-19. Open threes being airballed. Defense very rough as well. Valkyries lead 44-28,” wrote Drake in an X post.
On the contrary, the Valkyries’ setup was commended, as even Wings head coach Jose Fernandez had good things to say about the team’s bench.
“Golden State’s strength is their bench. They’ve got the No. 1 bench in the league.” Fernandez said.
And if we go by stats, that actually is the case for the second-seeded side this season. The Valkyries’ bench has made history as the most productive bench in WNBA history, with a points-per-game average of 35.9.
The Valkyries’ bench was at it again against the Wings, recording 40 points. Tiffany Hayes led the charge with 21 points and four assists, and Kaitlyn Chen added eight points of her own.
But the starters still did the heavy lifting. Star guard Gabby Williams and forward Cecilia Zandalasini combined for 42 points, while Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton added 10 points each.
“Sometimes, we want to attack, attack, attack to the point where we’re running into each other. The discipline in spacing tonight, the patience in terms of when we attacked was really good, and when that ball is moving, it’s key to our execution.” Nakase said about the team’s relentless offense.
Angel Reese’s playoff debut
Angel Reese had a successful first playoff appearance, as the AP Defensive Player of the Year scored another double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.
However, the Dream actually looked rattled in the first half, down by five points to the Mystics. But right after the break, the third quarter changed the course of the game as the Dream locked in with a 29-12 run.
DeWanna Bonner, who initiated the comeback, mentioned: “One thing you can’t do in the playoffs is be uptight. You’ve still got to play fun basketball. You’ve still got to laugh and enjoy this moment. I think the second half settled us down, and we had fun.”
From the first game of the playoffs itself, the 39-year-old is proving to be a crucial addition for the Dream with her limitless experience. She had 11 points in the third quarter, which was the turning point of the game. Even Smesko commended Bonner’s commitment following the game.
“She made so many big plays for us. And the enthusiasm she played with, it’s not just the playoff experience [she has], it’s the joy of playing basketball. And that was contagious for everyone. It just made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.”
While the 30-14 Dream have won the first fight, they have not won the war. Head coach Smesko knows that, as his words suggested the team is still locked in, and this victory will not get over their heads in the coming games.
“This is just round one,” Smesko said. “We feel good about how we set the tone for the first game, but there is a lot more work to be done, and I think everyone in our locker room is aware of that.”
As for the Mystics, Sonia Citron led the team with 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 14 rebounds (nine offensively). Meanwhile, Shakira Austin added 12 points and 16 rebounds. Citron was disappointed with the loss but understood that the team lost its cool by the end.
“In the first half, we did a good job of just making everything hard for them, and then in that third quarter we just let some of our discipline slip,” Citron said.
With this loss, the Mystics have still not won a playoff game since 2019. Back then, they won the WNBA championship. They last appeared in the postseason three years ago, and with the new and unique core, Iriafen believes the Mystics will be better prepared for the do-or-die game on Wednesday.
“Playoffs are the biggest stage. This is the stage we want to be on. It was our first time being here, not that that’s an excuse, but now we know what it looks like. We have a taste for it. We’ll be better prepared for our game on Wednesday,” she said.