Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard score 20 apiece, Dream beat Fever 80-68 in Game 1 of WNBA playoffs

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) – Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard scored 20 points apiece to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 80-68 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series.

Naz Hillmon, who was the AP Sixth Person of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Dream. Atlanta can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Brionna Jones made a tiebreaking layup and Gray hit a pull-up jumper before Howard hit a 3-pointer that gave Atlanta a 47-40 lead almost four minutes into the second half and the Fever trailed the rest of the way.

Kelsey Mitchell led No. 7 seed Indiana with 27 points. Odyssey Sims scored 10 points and Aliyah Boston grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists. The Fever were missing Caitlin Clark, who is sidelined for the playoffs with a groin injury she suffered in the middle of July.

Indiana was also missing Sophie Cunningham (knee), Aari McDonald (foot) and Sydney Colson (knee).

Mitchell made a free throw that cut Indiana’s deficit to 10 points with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter but Hillmon, who scored 14 second-half points, answered with a three-point play and Atlanta led by double figures there on.

The Dream, under first-year coach Karl Smesko, doubled their win total from last year, shattered the club record for wins in a season (30) and finished with their highest win percentage (.682) in franchise history.

Mitchell hit a fast-break 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave Indiana a 15-6 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.