3 takeaways from Rhyne Howard’s historic performance

Smesko was never disturbed because he knows there are multiple players on the Dream’s roster who can get hot from deep at any moment.

In the Dream’s 88-70 victory against the Sky, Rhyne Howard stole the show, pouring in a season-high 36 points that included tying the WNBA’s record for the number of 3s (nine) made in a game.

Howard also captured a new franchise record for the most 3-pointers made in a contest, a feat that was previously set by Renee Montgomery in 2018.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Howard, who went into halftime with 8 points on 2-of-8 shots from the floor including 1-of-7 from deep, didn’t do anything that she wouldn’t normally do.

The two-time All-Star tapped into “Rhyne Time” — or as Smesko describes her as “Rhye or Die” — and released a barrage of 3s that proved to be the difference in the Dream (7-3) earning their seventh win of the season and their second Commissioner’s Cup victory.

“She (Howard) just got it going and kept it going,” Smesko said postgame. “She’s obviously a special player. … She’s capable of having these kinds of nights.”

However, the one that thing that disturbed Smesko on a night where Brittney Griner leaped into second place on the WNBA’s all-time blocks list and Brionna Jones delivered her sixth double-double performance in addition to Howard’s 3-point shooting assault was the Dream’s need for an adjustment in defending the Sky’s ball screens.

In true Smesko fashion, the Dream made adjustments that resulted in slowing down Chicago’s offensive efficiency in the second half, a team that shot 32% from the floor and 2-of-10 from beyond the arc after shooting a whopping 52% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc and notching 12 assists on 16 made field goals in the first 20 minutes of play.

“They (Sky) were hurting us with their ball screens,” Smesko said. “They got behind us in the role a couple times. We gave up either some deep catches with the roll or some deep post ups. They’re pretty good at scoring around the rim. We went under some ball screens on shooters, and they made us pay.”

Here are three takeaways from the Dream’s win against the Sky.

Rhyne Howard’s historic performance

One can never count out Howard’s ability to take over a contest. She’s always one 3 away from starting a storm of long range bombs to help the Dream win a game from the very beginning or mounting a comeback after trailing in a contest.

On Friday, after the Dream’s 1-point deficit at halftime, the 25-year-old produced a masterful performance in the second half, notching 28 of her 36 in the final two quarters and using her ability to create space to finish at the rim or splash deep 3s.

“The more aggressive she (Howard) gets looking for opportunities, it opens up a lot of things for everybody,” Smesko said.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

“They (defenders) start running at her, she uses her shot fake, then she can get downhill driving (to the basket). Then, once they help, she can move it to somebody else or try to finish and a lot of times get to the foul line. … Like once it got going in the fourth (quarter), I didn’t have to say anything, she just got the ball and if she had a little bit of room, she was putting it up.”

Friday’s game marked the first time that Howard converted on five or more 3s in a contest this season. She entered Friday’s game shooting 26.1% from beyond the arc this season, including an 0-for-5 performance from deep in the Dream’s win Tuesday against the Fever.

“All-Star voting just started, so if you needed any reason to vote for me, I feel like I gave you that tonight,” Howard told the ION TV broadcast after Friday’s win.

Jordin Canada finds her rhythm

Canada displayed sightings of the point guard the Dream plan to see moving forward throughout the season, bringing massive defensive intensity, pushing the pace, dropping dimes to her teammates as well as capitalizing on her scoring from the floor.

Canada finished with 12 points with seven coming in the first half, to go along with eight assists, two rebounds and one steal in the contest.

In only her third game of the season after missing the Dream’s first seven contests with a right knee injury, Canada looked comfortable and at ease on the court.

“She had some huge baskets for us today,” Smesko said. “A couple of her baskets were really tough, great footwork in the trees, and somehow found an angle to get a finish. I’m expecting her just to continue to get better as she gets a few more games under her belt.”

Brionna Jones notches her sixth double-double

Behind Howard’s heroic performance and Griner’s Olympic spotlight and record-setting performance, Jones continued her consistency as a force in the paint for the Dream.

She quietly finished Friday’s clash with her sixth double-double performance of the season, registering 13 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Currently, Jones leads the league in double-doubles as the lone player with six, followed by New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones and Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier sitting at five.

What’s next for the Dream

The Dream will return to action Sunday when they face the Washington Mystics (4-6) at CareFirst Arena. The Mystics defeated the Dream 94-90 on May 16 in the season opener.

Five players finished in double figures, despite the loss. Gray led all scorers with 25 points, followed by Griner with 18 points, Jones with 16 points, Howard with 11 points and Nia Coffey finishing with 10 points.