Dream force 19 turnovers, overcome foul trouble to eliminate Mystics with first-round playoff sweep

The Atlanta Dream are moving on in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. They advanced and pulled off a first-round series sweep over the Washington Mystics with a gritty 93-75 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night, punching their ticket to their first semifinal series since 2018.

The story of this game was the Dream's dominant defense, which forced 19 turnovers and scored 23 points off of them. Washington, on the other hand, forced just eight turnovers and converted them into eight points.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Dream's stars showed up and showed out. All five Atlanta starters finished in double figures, with Allisha Gray 's 22 points leading the way. Jordin Canada had a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists, while Rhyne Howard added 15 points. Angel Reese had 15 points, taking advantage of her eight free-throw attempts.

There were 53 called fouls in the game. According to the ESPN broadcast, the record for a WNBA playoff game that ended in regulation is 57.

The Dream started the fourth quarter with Reese, Howard and Canada each with four fouls. Howard fouled out with just over six minutes left in the game. Every starter from both teams finished with at least three fouls.

Washington fought and clawed its way back into the game, cutting the deficit to single digits heading into the fourth quarter. The Mystics continued to drive the lane and force foul calls to get to the charity stripe. Washington hit 24 of 28 free-throw attempts in the game, which helped offset their 38% shooting percentage from the field.

Atlanta was known for its rebounding prowess in the regular season, but the board advantage heavily favored Washington. The Mystics out-rebounded the Dream 42-27. Washington's Kiki Iriafen became the first WNBA player to record 14 or more rebounds in her first two career playoff games — and only the 10th ever to do so in back-to-back playoff games — finishing with 16 in the loss to Atlanta.

Washington couldn't sustain its momentum, and the Dream used a 13-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter to put the game away. Atlanta outscored Washington 28-17 in the final frame to ice it, making the game look more lopsided than it truly was.

The Dream will take on the New York Liberty in the semifinals, with Game 1 set for Sunday.