On Wednesday night in Washington, DC, the Atlanta Dream defeated the Washington Mystics in Game 2 of their first-round WNBA playoff series, with the 93-75 win giving the Dream the series sweep.
It’s Atlanta’s first playoff series win since 2018. And the Game 2 victory that propelled them out of the first round and into the semifinals was secured by a player who ended the 2018 playoffs where the Dream, ultimately, want to be.
Jordin Canada, a 2018 and 2020 WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm, flexed
that experience in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her 19 points in the final frame to ensure that there would be no Game 3 in Atlanta on Friday night.
In addition to her bucket-getting burst, which included a 4-for-8 effort from behind the arc, Canada dished 11 assists, grabbed seven rebounds and collected three steals.
While much has been made of the championship-winning wisdom that late-season addition DeWanna Bonner has brought to the Dream, Canada reminded that she too understands what it takes to win on the biggest stage.
Both head coach Karl Smesko and Allisha Gray sang Canada’s praises after the game. Smesko noted:
JC hit a lot of big baskets for us tonight. … She just sees the floor so well. She pushes the pace. I mean, she’s really really our engine. So, we go as she go. She played so great tonight, especially in that fourth quarter. We needed like big buckets. Like she was down and ready with her 3s, and she just played so well tonight.
Gray added:
She [Canada] was fantastic down the stretch. I think she got off to a slow start. She’s missing some shots, and she got a little frustrated. She had a time to regroup, and that’s the kind of competitor she is. Like, it gets to the fourth quarter, and we need some key baskets. And, she’s knocking down 3s, getting to the rim, moving the ball to open teammates. She just came up huge for us.
Gray herself led the Dream in scoring, with many of her 22 points seeming to come at just the right moment, restoring Atlanta’s margin almost any time the Mystics threatened. She was 3-for-6 from downtown and, like Canada, complemented her shooting from distance with aggressive drives.
Overall, Atlanta enjoyed a favorable shooting night, making 13 3-pointers at 41 percent as team.
All of Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon and Bonner made two 3-pointers. After a 24 percent showing from 3 in Game 1, which followed three desultory deep shooting games in last season’s first-round loss to the Indiana Fever, in which Atlanta shot below 32 percent from 3 in all three games, it was satisfying to see the shooting gods finally smile on the Dream.
However, Atlanta mostly made their own fortune.
The Dream defense again induced turnover troubles from the Mystics, with 10 of Washington’s miscues coming off steals. Those giveaways became 23 Atlanta points. Conversely, the Dream turned the ball over just eight times.
Winning the ball security battle made up for the Dream’s loss on the glass. Washington again owned the boards, corralling 42 to rebounds to Atlanta’s 27. They even held Angel Reese to single-digit boards, a rarity for the WNBA’s double-double queen.
Of course, Angel, who finished with 15 points, seven boards and three blocks, always finds a way to make an impact. A layup from Reese, assisted by Canada, kickstarted the 13-0 fourth-quarter run that turned a teetering three-point lead into a 16-point edge, quieting the creeping anxieties of Atlanta fans fearing the worst.
At least momentarily. Atlanta’s run ended after Howard fouled out, eliminated with more than six minutes remaining. She exited with 15 points, four assists and two steals.
Another bucket and free throw from Angel, however, staved off any hints of dread, opening the way for Canada to close it out with an eight-straight points to stretch the Atlanta advantage to 19 points.
The No. 4-seed Dream now return to Atlanta, ready to host the semifinal series against the No. 8-seed New York Liberty that will begin on Sunday, Oct. 4.
