COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — The Sparks’ playoff hopes haven’t been extinguished yet, but they are on life support.
Rhyne Howard tied the WNBA record with nine 3-pointers and scored 29 of her 37 points before halftime, as the Atlanta Dream tied a team record with 19 3-pointers and hammered the Sparks, 104-85, on Friday night.
Dearica Hamby scored 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting for the Sparks (19-22), who are now 2½ games behind Indiana and Seattle with three games left in the regular season. Kelsey Plum added 20 points and Rickea Jackson 17.
If the Sparks lose any of their remaining three games they will be eliminated and miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. Indiana (22-20) and Seattle (22-20 going into Friday’s game), the teams that occupy the seventh and eighth seeds, can secure postseason spots by winning any of their remaining games.
The Sparks do own tiebreakers over the Fever and Storm, but those teams have easier remaining schedules than the Sparks.
“When you’re playing a team like Atlanta, especially on the road, you can’t dig yourself a hole. You have to play pretty perfect,” Plum said before facing the Dream for the second time in three days. “It’s just one of those things where you watch the film, learn, make adjustments and then get the opportunity to play again Friday. It’s rare to be able to play a team back-to-back. It’s a great opportunity for us.”
The Sparks fell into the trap Plum warned about in the quick rematch – trailing 31-24 after one quarter and falling behind by as much as 13 points before halftime against one of the hottest teams in the WNBA. They did claw their way back to tie the score in the third quarter, but the hosts quickly took control from there.
Atlanta (28-14), which won its fourth straight game and its 13th in the past 16 contests, clinched home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Dream tied the team record for 3-pointers on Jordin Canada’s shot with 1:44 to play. New York hit 19 3-pointers twice this season and Las Vegas made 23 3-point shots in a playoff game.
Maya Caldwell hit five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Atlanta and Brionna Jones added 12 points and nine rebounds. The Dream shot 19 for 39 from behind the arc. Howard, who made five 3s in the first quarter and seven in the first half, finished the night 9 for 17 from long range. Caldwell shot 5 for 7.
Howard had three attempts at the 3-point record, which she already shared with Kelsey Mitchell (2019), Jewell Loyd (2023) and Arike Ogunbowale (2024). She is the first two accomplish the feat twice, both this season.
The Sparks tied the score at 64 on Hamby’s layup in the middle of the third quarter, but then the Dream reeled off 13 straight, which included back-to-back 3-pointers by Caldwell and Howard’s eighth 3-pointer. Howard’s record-tying 3-pointer, with 28.7 seconds left, made it 85-71.
The Sparks were held without a field goal in the fourth quarter until the 4:51 mark, when Julie Allemand’s 3-pointer cut their deficit to 92-77. Canada, who missed her first eight shots, iced the win with her 3-pointer with 1:44 left.
Atlanta trailed 6-2 early, but Howard knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to push the Dream ahead midway through the first quarter.
An Allemand layup pulled the Sparks within six before Te-Hina Paopao’s five straight points and Nia Coffey’s layup extended the Dream’s advantage to 41-28 at the 7:48 mark of the second quarter.
Howard continued her hot shooting as she accounted for 10 straight Atlanta points, giving the Dream a 55-45 lead with 1:10 remaining before the break. The Sparks finished the first half on a 7-1 spurt, including Hamby’s layup that cut their deficit to 56-52 by halftime.
UP NEXT
The Sparks host the Dallas Wings on Sunday at 3 p.m. After that, they play at Phoenix on Tuesday night then host Las Vegas on Thursday night.
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