Rhyne Howard leads Dream in scoring, but can't win first playoff game

Rhyne Howard has the Atlanta Dream back in the postseason for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, history might be on the verge of repeating itself.

On Sunday afternoon, the 8-seeded Dream lost the opening game of its first-round playoff matchup against the top-seeded New York Liberty, falling 83-69 in the Big Apple. Howard was Atlanta’s leading scorer with 14 points in addition to six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks in 28 minutes. She only turned the ball over once as well, but the 6-foot-2 guard shot just 5-14 from the floor and 2-7 from long range.

The Liberty were ahead by 13 points after the first quarter and never trailed in this game. Breanna Stewart posted 20 points and 11 rebounds while Sabrina Ionescu went for 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. New York takes a 1-0 lead in this three-game series with Game 2 back in NYC on Tuesday where the Liberty will look to advance to the second-round.

Tipoff for the all-important Game 2 is set for 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN inside the Barclays Center. Watch Howard go to work in the video below.

Rhyne Howard (9/22/24) pic.twitter.com/Pl6X2sF43L

— @balapattyszn (@balapattyvids) September 22, 2024

Howard and the Dream (15-25) actually beat the Liberty (32-8) in the final game of the regular season to reach the playoffs. But this series could wrap up quickly if Atlanta can’t bounce back in Game 2. That being said, with the way the WNBA Playoffs are formatted, a decisive Game 3 will shift to Atlanta if the Dream can steal Game 2 on the road.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, Howard produced another impressive season for the Dream. A lower leg injury limited her throughout the season, but the former Wildcat still posted per-game averages of 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 33.9 minutes. Now in year three (with two All-Stars under her belt) as a pro, Howard also helped Team USA win a bronze medal in the 3X3 when the WNBA took a break for the 2024 Paris Olympics over the summer.

This time last season, the Dream was in a similar situation. Although Atlanta entered the 2023 postseason as a five-seed, it dropped both of its first-round games to the four-seeded Dallas Wings and was thus knocked out of the playoffs. The last time this franchise made the Conference Finals was in 2018.