Dream vs. Mystics: Jordin Canada's Fourth Quarter Sends Atlanta to the Semifinals in First Round Game 2

Three straight seasons, the Atlanta Dream's playoff run ended in the first round. On Wednesday night, Jordin Canada made sure the fourth one went differently, and she did it with a fourth quarter that felt like a closing argument.

The final was 93-75 in Game 2, and it completed a two-game sweep of the Mystics in the first round. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 22 points, but the closer was Canada, who poured in 13 of her 19 in the fourth quarter to go with 11 assists and seven rebounds. Per the AP, the Dream are going to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018, and they never trailed for a second at CareFirst Arena.

Atlanta Ran Out to an Early Cushion

The Dream set the tone from the jump. They led 24-17 after one quarter, and an 8-0 run that bridged the end of the first and the start of the second pushed the margin to 29-17. Washington could not hang onto the ball, committing 11 turnovers in the first half, according to the AP.

Atlanta went up 41-28 with 1:26 left in the half and looked ready to put this one away early. Instead, Washington scored the final seven points of the half, with Sonia Citron getting a bucket in the lane right before the horn, and the Dream took a 41-35 lead into the break.

Washington's Last Stand

The third quarter turned into a test of nerves. Atlanta stretched the lead to 63-48 late in the period, and then the Mystics started chipping. An 8-0 burst cut it to 63-56 with 1:21 left in the third, and the AP tracked a 14-2 Washington run overall that dragged the Mystics within 65-62 early in the fourth.

That was as close as it got. Atlanta's reply was emphatic: 13 unanswered points, the last three on a Canada triple, and it was 78-62 with 6:42 left. Just like that, the drama was over.

Rhyne Howard fouled out with 6:03 to play, which might have rattled a different team. Canada responded by taking over the rest of the game. She hit a 26-foot 3-pointer at 3:46, another from 23 feet at 3:22, and then a 14-foot pull-up at 2:58 to make it 89-70. Isobel Borlase assisted both of those 3s, and the Mystics never got closer than 16 the rest of the night.

Canada Was the Closer

Canada finished 6 of 16 from the field and 4 of 8 from deep, made all three of her free throws, added three steals and was a plus-23. Her stat line was full, but it was the timing that stood out. When Washington had its best chance to make this a series, she was the one who slammed the door.

Gray did the steady work, going 8 of 18 with three 3-pointers and four steals. Howard had 15 points before fouling out, and Angel Reese added 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, finishing a game-high plus-26. Naz Hillmon chipped in 10, and DeWanna Bonner hit a pair of 3s off the bench for seven.

Reese deserves a little extra credit. After a 4-of-15 shooting night in Game 1, she was far more efficient this time, going 4 of 8 from the field and 7 of 8 at the line while protecting the rim.

As a team, Atlanta shot 13 of 32 from deep and dished out 23 assists to Washington's 13. The Dream also ran the Mystics off the floor in transition, winning fast-break points 11-0.

Citron and Iriafen Went Down Swinging

Citron finished with 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 10 of 11 at the line. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 16 rebounds and, according to the AP, became the first player in franchise history to post a first-half double-double in a playoff game. Cassandre Prosper gave Washington 10 points off the bench.

The Mystics outrebounded Atlanta 42-27, the second straight game they won the glass by a big margin. It did not matter. Washington committed 19 turnovers, and the Dream turned them into 23 points. Georgia Amoore had a rough night, going 1 of 5 for two points.

The Turning Point

The 13-0 run early in the fourth quarter. Washington had just clawed within three and could smell a Game 3. Atlanta wiped that out in a little over two minutes, rebuilding a 16-point lead and taking all the air out of the building. When Howard fouled out a few possessions later, the Dream had already built enough of a cushion to survive it.

Stats That Matter

• 13: Canada's fourth-quarter points, out of 19 total.
• 23-8: Points off turnovers, Atlanta's edge. The Dream turned over the ball just eight times.
• 11-0: Atlanta's advantage in fast-break points.
• 23-13: The Dream's assist edge.
• 10-3: Atlanta's edge in steals.

What It Means

Atlanta wins the series 2-0 and moves on to the semifinals, where it will host Game 1 on Sunday against New York. The Liberty swept Minnesota to become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league's 30-year history, according to the AP.

The Dream are rolling right now. Counting the playoffs, they have won seven straight, including their final five regular-season games. That stretch includes two road wins over New York on the final week of the regular season.

For Washington, it is the end of a solid run. The fifth-seeded Mystics won their final four regular-season games and took the regular-season series against Atlanta 2-1, but they could not solve the Dream in the playoffs.

Closing Take

Atlanta has spent three straight seasons as the team that gets bounced early, the opening act nobody remembers. Now the Dream get to be the headliner, at least for one more round. Canada's fourth quarter was the kind of performance that turns a good team into a dangerous one, and with New York up next, Atlanta is going to need every bit of that energy. The semifinals start Sunday, and the Dream finally have a ticket.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.