Kenya’s basketball sensation Madina Okot made her first-ever WNBA playoff appearance as the Atlanta Dream came out on top at home, beating the Washington Mystics 92-77 in Game 1 on Monday morning.
Okot came off the bench and played seven minutes, sinking four points and grabbing five rebounds. She also recorded a steal, a block and a turnover in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena in Georgia.
The fourth-seeded Dream had a slow start on Monday. However, Rhyne Howard scored 26 points and went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to help her side take a 1-0 lead over the Mystics in the best-of-three series.
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Meanwhile, Allisha Gray added 22 points, while Angel Reese posted a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Dream, who trailed by 11 points in the second quarter.
DeWanna Bonner scored 13 points off the bench, while Jordin Canada had 10 points and 11 assists for Atlanta, which forced 22 Washington turnovers.
Atlanta, who have not made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2018, made a strong turnaround after falling 11 points behind due to poor shooting.
A furious defensive effort in the third quarter helped them rally, build a 13-point cushion and carry the advantage through the rest of the game.
“A good way to start the series, but we know we have to get another win,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. “That’s what we plan to do.”
“We feel good about how we set the tone in the first game, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” Smesko added.
Atlanta started by missing nine of its first 10 shots and trailed 14-5 with 5:14 remaining in the opening quarter.
They then rallied to hit six of their next 12 shots, cutting Washington’s lead to 26-21 heading into the second quarter.
Atlanta remained five points behind at halftime, despite Reese and Gray combining to shoot just 4-of-22.
Atlanta opened the quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 43-41 lead in the third quarter. The Dream stretched its advantage to 56-48, with Bonner’s 11 points sparking the surge.
The forward, acquired near the end of the season for her championship experience, surpassed 1,300 postseason points in her career.
Smesko used Madina Okot and Reese together, something he did not do frequently during the regular season, to start the fourth quarter.
Okot opened the quarter with a layup, assisted by Reese. She followed that up with a steal and fed Howard for a three-pointer, giving Atlanta a 70-53 lead.
“We hoped she (Okot) would be an X-factor for us,” Smesko said.
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Washington became more careful with the ball, which forced Atlanta into more half-court sets. Its offense once again began to stall, allowing the Mystics to cut Atlanta’s lead to 81-74 with 3:26 remaining.
After a timeout, Smesko sent out Canada, Reese, Bonner, Gray and Howard. Reese kept a possession alive with an offensive rebound, while Canada extended it again with a steal- the team’s 16th of the game, tying the franchise record.
Gray finished the possession with a three-point play to give the Dream a 10-point lead with 2:41 left.
Bonner stopped Washington’s next possession with a rebound, drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to extend Atlanta’s lead to 86-74 with 2:29 remaining.
Atlanta cruised to the victory. One more win and they will advance to the semifinals.
Game 2 of the best-of-three matchup is on Thursday morning in Washington, where Atlanta will look to close out the series and secure a place in the league semifinals.