The Atlanta Dream beat the Washington Mystics 83-75 in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, Sept. 30, 2026, advancing to the WNBA playoffs semifinals for the first time since 2018. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 22 points. The Dream moved past the first round and set up a semifinal series against New York.
Atlanta Advances
Atlanta finished the regular season with the Eastern Conference’s best record. The win also meant the Dream avoided a first-round playoff exit, something the team hadn’t managed in four years, according to the source report. Atlanta’s next game was scheduled for Sunday, when it was due to host Game 1 of the semifinals against the Liberty.
Jordin Canada helped Atlanta respond after Washington cut into the lead. She hit 3-pointers on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions, then made a free-throw-line jumper on Atlanta’s next trip. Rhyne Howard scored 15 points before fouling out with just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Angel Reese added 15 points and collected seven rebounds.
Washington committed 11 turnovers in the first half. Then the Mystics made a 14-2 run that began in the third quarter and brought them within 65-62. Atlanta answered with 13 straight points, capped by a Canada 3-pointer, and restored a double-digit lead at 78-62.
The Semifinal Field
New York reached the semifinals by sweeping Minnesota. The Liberty became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history, according to the report. The source identifies the Minnesota Lynx as the field’s top seed and says the No. 8 Liberty swept them in the first round.
The Mystics reached the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2019 WNBA championship. Atlanta, meanwhile, captured conference titles three times from 2010-13 but has never won a WNBA championship. The Dream’s latest win put them back in the semifinals, where they were scheduled to face a New York team that had already removed the top seed from contention.
The Dallas Wings hosted the Golden State Valkyries in Wednesday’s other first-round series matchup. The report didn’t provide a result for that game.
October Finals Watch
An October sports watch guide said the MLB and WNBA champions would be decided during the month. It also listed overseas NFL games in London and Paris and said the WNBA Finals were scheduled to begin Oct. 17 on NBC, Peacock and USA.
Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart were identified as seeking a return to the best-of-seven finals after winning the 2024 title. A’ja Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces were the defending champions. The guide’s finals outlook followed New York’s first-round sweep of Minnesota and Atlanta’s series win over Washington, with both teams advancing to the semifinals.
The Associated Press contributed to the OutKick report. The source articles describe playoff results, team records and scheduled broadcasts; they don’t report a policy dispute or a transfer of government authority connected to the games.