Howard, Gray help Dream open playoffs the right way

Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon had never experienced the Dream hosting a playoff game as a part of the franchise. The two former draft picks had waited for this stage since 2022, when the Dream selected them in the WNBA Draft to help anchor the franchise’s rebuild.

The sold-out crowd at Gateway Center Arena roared as the No. 3 seed Dream charged into their first home postseason game in seven years against the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever. But the debut didn’t start like a dream. They trailed the Fever by as many as nine in the first quarter.

But the Dream clawed back, clinging to slim advantages across the next two quarters.

As the momentum swung throughout the contest – with the Fever hunting for a signature postseason upset – Howard and Hillmon combined for 16 of the team’s 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Dream past the Fever 80-68 in Game 1 of the best-of-three, first-round series.

With the win, the Dream picked up their first postseason win since Aug. 31, 2018, when they defeated the Washington Mystics 81-76 on the road in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals.

“This is me and Naz first home game period in the playoffs,” Howard said after Sunday’s win. “For us to even have accomplished that much, to have homecourt advantage, we knew we had to make a good one. …We are looking to continue to have more (wins).”

Turning point in the Dream’s victory

Leading by five, the Dream began to separate in the fourth quarter, a period that drew lots of tension. Following Brionna Jones’ bucket in the paint, Howard drilled a 3-pointer to put the Dream up by 10, 63-53.

Then, things got messy, as Fever coach Stephanie White picked up a technical foul, resulting in Howard shooting a technical free throw for the Dream.

On the next possession, as Jordin Canada attempted to steal the ball, she landed on Odyssey Sims, resulting in the Fever point guard picking up a technical foul. Again, Howard converted the technical free throw, putting the Dream up 65-53.

Shortly after Aliyah Boston converted a pair of free throws, Naz Hillmon showed why she is a leading candidate for the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year. She drilled a 3-pointer — her second of the contest — soared in the air for an offensive rebound on the next possession that resulted in a wide-open layup to further shut the door on the Fever and later securing the victory. The Dream held the Fever to 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The Fever came out of halftime and erupted for a 7-0 run that included a 3-pointer from Lexie Hull and bucket from Kelsey Mitchell to tie the game at 40. But the Dream stopped the bleeding when Canada found a cutting Jones for a layup at the rim that sparked a 7-0 run for the Dream, giving them a 47-43 lead.

With the Dream clinging to a three-point lead, Hillmon knocked down a clutch 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to put the Dream up by nine, 56-47, their largest lead of the game. However, Hull converted a layup and Mitchell added a pair of free throws to cut the Dream’s deficit to five heading into the fourth quarter.