Record-Breaking Night: Dream Crush Mystics in 33-Point Rout

The Atlanta Dream delivered a statement performance on Sunday afternoon, steamrolling the Washington Mystics 86-53 at Entertainment & Sports Arena. It was the Dream’s most dominant outing of the 2025 season and their largest margin of victory since 2014. With the win, Atlanta improves to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play, while moving to 30-34 all-time against Washington and 14-20 on the road.

The Dream’s red-hot streak continues—now winners of seven of their last eight contests, they’ve matched their best 11-game start to a season since 2016. The victory also contributed another $5,000 to the Center for Black Women’s Wellness through the Commissioner’s Cup initiative, bringing the team’s total donation this year to $10,000.

Game Recap

The Dream’s starting lineup of Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, and Brittney Griner improved to 3-1 this season, demonstrating chemistry on both ends of the floor. Atlanta set a new franchise record with 18 made three-pointers—just one shy of tying the WNBA record—and held Washington to under 60 points for the third time this year.

Allisha Gray put together a career night, dropping a personal-best 32 points for her first-ever 30-point game. She also filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in an all-around brilliant performance. Her early scoring set the tone as Atlanta built a comfortable lead and never looked back.

Rhyne Howard had her own historic moment, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 300 career three-pointers—doing so in just 114 games. She’s now the second-youngest player ever to hit the mark, trailing only Diana Taurasi by three days. Howard poured in four threes in the second quarter alone and finished with 12 points.

Te-Hina Paopao came off the bench and made an immediate impact, setting a new career high with 16 points—including four three-pointers—and dishing out five assists. Naz Hillmon added a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and a season-high five assists. Rookie Taylor Thierry joined in the fun, knocking down her first career points on a late corner three that pushed the Dream to their record-breaking 18th make from deep.

Atlanta’s defense was just as potent, suffocating the Mystics’ offense across all four quarters. The Dream outscored Washington in every period, dominated the glass, and disrupted any attempt at rhythm from the home team.

Allisha Gray opened the game with an and-one layup and followed it up with a three-pointer, scoring the Dream’s first six points. Brionna Jones ended a Mystics mini-run with a layup assisted by Hillmon, and Paopao came off the bench to get on the board immediately. Gray stayed hot with a deep three against Jade Melbourne and ended the quarter with 12 points and an assist—accounting for over 80% of the Dream’s offense. Atlanta led 16-13 after one.

Maya Caldwell scored her first points of the night on a smooth layup, and Howard got going with a triple. Atlanta went on a 15-4 run as Paopao and Howard caught fire—Howard nailed four three-pointers in the period, including her record-setting 300th. Gray was perfect from deep as the Dream poured in eight total threes and outscored Washington 29-21 in the frame to take a 45-34 halftime lead.

Howard opened the half with a crafty layup, followed by Canada’s first bucket of the night. Gray added three free throws and Jones stepped out to hit a rare three. Paopao nailed her second triple as Atlanta pushed the lead toward 30. Defensively, the Dream held the Mystics to just 10 points in the quarter and reached 14 made threes by the end of the frame. Atlanta led 68-44 heading into the fourth.

Gray reached her career-high 32 points on a layup off a Canada assist. Hillmon locked in her double-double with a couple of key rebounds and timely baskets. Paopao hit back-to-back threes to seal her career highs in both scoring and threes made. Rookie Taylor Thierry made the moment her own with a late corner three—her first career points—which also marked Atlanta’s 18th made triple of the game, a new franchise record. The Dream outscored Washington 21-14 in the final frame to cap a wire-to-wire blowout.

Next up: Atlanta continues its road trip with a showdown against the New York Liberty on Tuesday, June 17. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM ET.