Friday marked the official baptism of Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko into the rigors and pressures of coaching in the WNBA when his team opened the 2025 regular season on the road against the Washington Mystics. For Smesko, despite two weeks of training camp and Atlanta’s two exhibition games that included Washington, he entered the first game with tempered expectations as players continue to build chemistry and continuity with each other.
The Dream showed flashes of Smesko’s blueprint — establishing quality floor spacing, taking lots of threes, getting to the rim for high efficient shots and generating second chance points off offensive rebounds — in the contest. However, in a game that went down to the wire and featured 12 ties and nine lead changes, Washington exposed Atlanta’s struggles defensively and forced the Dream into 16 turnovers that resulted in 20 points in the Mystics’ 94-90 victory against the Dream at CareFirst Arena.
“Defensively, we just made too many mistakes,” Smesko said. “We’ve spent a lot more time on offense than defense and it kind of showed.”
Atlanta held a 45-41 lead against Washington at halftime, led by as many as 12 points in the game and finished with five players in double figures. However, with the game on the line, Washington delivered on critical plays in the fourth quarter that included only one turnover, a timely layup from Brittney Sykes and a steal off of a bad pass from Brittney Griner, setting up a pair of free throws from Sonia Citron to seal the victory for the Mystics.
Here are three takeaways from Atlanta’s season-opening loss against Washington.
Offensive rebounds create opportunities
The Dream dominated the offensive glass, backed by Brionna Jones as she led the team with six of Atlanta’s 15 offensive rebounds in the contest. Atlanta produced 20 of its 23 second chance points off nine offensive rebounds through three quarters.
Although Griner, Jones and Rhyne Howard combined for the team’s six offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, the Dream finished with just three second chance points in critical possessions where Atlanta needed points.
“We just got to finish those possessions at the end of the game,” Jones said postgame.
Turnovers prove costly
One of Smesko’s fundamental tenets is superb offensive efficiency. Establishing this standard requires limiting turnovers. Within Atlanta’s 16 in the contest, the Dream allowed four alone in the fourth quarter with the biggest miscue coming on the Sykes’ steal with 24 seconds to play in regulation, resulting in four-point swing for the Mystics.
“I feel like we made a lot of small mistakes that we shouldn’t have made,” said Dream guard Allisha Gray. “… I knew I threw a deflection and made a turnover at a crucial point. I think just recognizing what’s going on the court and taking care of the ball.”
Gray, Griner and Jones set the tone
Atlanta finished with five players in double figure point totals. Gray led the way with 25 points on 7-of-14 shots including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, to go along with seven assists, eight rebounds and one steal. The two-time All-Star finished 19 of her 25 in the first half, the most Gray has scored in the first half of a game during her Dream career.
Griner, who was limited to four points, six rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes in the first half, came alive in the fourth quarter, notching 13 of her 18 points that included a huge jumper to tie the game at 90 with less than a minute to play in regulation. However, before the 10-time All-Star’s excellent frame in the final period, Griner did not take a field goal attempt in the thor quarter, something Smesko elected to change in hopes of giving Atlanta a chance to win the game.
“We made a concerted effort [to get BG the ball],” Smesko said. “I wish we’d gone to it earlier.”
Brionna Jones finished with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Rhyne Howard, despite going 4-of-14 from the floor, finished with 11 points, a team-high six assists, two rebounds and one steal, followed by Nia Coffey pouring in 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Beyond the contributions from Atlanta’s stars, rookie point guard Te-Hina Paopao earned the start in her first regular season game. The former South Carolina star earned a spot on the roster after two preseason games that included a breakout performance against the Indiana Fever, notching 14 points, two assists and one steal off the bench.
In Friday’s contest, Paopao finished with seven points, four assists and three rebounds.
“She earned an opportunity to be out there,” Smesko said. “I thought she did some good things and we wanted to see how she’d do in that position.”
Atlanta (0-1) will return to action on Tuesday when the Dream go on the road to face the Fever.
Read more about the Atlanta Dream: 2025 WNBA season preview
