Moreover, DeWanna Bonner, who was invaluable in the first two rounds, finished with just 2 points on 1-for-2 shooting in 13 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite such quiet games from Howard and Bonner, the Dream were just two shots away from beating the Valkyries or at least forcing overtime. They need to get more out of Howard and Bonner next game and avoid going back to Atlanta down 2-0. Falling into a 2-0 hole would leave the Dream with a tiny margin for error in home games and only make it more difficult to grind out a road win later in the series. Gray and Naz Hillmon can also step up in the scoring department, but Howard and Bonner are the players that really need to get going for the Dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Karl Smesko Believes That a Big Rhyne Howard Game Is Coming Soon![\"Rhyne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m5764cn162p26znnrs.jpg\" "\\"Rhyne")
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Oct 17, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) controls the ball against Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) during the second quarter of game one of the 2026 WNBA Finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Rhyne Howard is very capable of big scoring games. She made nine 3-pointers twice in a game last year, which was a WNBA record until Kayla McBride broke it with 10 made 3-pointers this season. She also scored 43 points in a game in 2023 and cracked the 25-point mark in seven games this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having that type of game against the number-one defense in the league is tough, and Howard didn\u2019t have great scoring games against the Valkyries in the regular season<\/a> either. Between Gabby Williams, Kaila Charles, Kayla Thornton, and Cecilia Zandalasini, the Valkyries have a ton of defensive talent, size, and length to throw at Howard. Still, Smesko will have to find a way to get more than 12 points out of Howard if the Dream want to win their first championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n He, for one, seems confident that the four-time All-Star is primed for a big game.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGolden State is a great defense, but I got a lot of confidence that we\u2019re gonna see some really big games from Rhyne and others and that we\u2019ll take care of what we need to take care of,\u201d Smesko said in the postgame media availability<\/a>. <\/p>\n
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