Dream's Rhyne Howard ties WNBA mark again with 9 3-pointers - ESPN

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard tied the WNBA single-game record with nine 3-pointers Friday, becoming the first player in league history to do that more than once.

Howard finished with 37 points, and the Dream beat the Los Angeles Sparks 104-85, guaranteeing the Atlanta home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Howard was 13-of-26 from the field, including 9-of-17 from behind the arc. Her other nine 3-pointer game came June 13 in an 88-70 victory over Chicago. Both games were in Atlanta.

There have been six games, including the playoffs and Commissioner's Cup finals, in which a WNBA player has made nine 3-pointers.

«I think it forces people to put me in that conversation with the best shooters,» said Howard, who is in her fourth season at age 25. «Because you can't leave that off. Nobody's ever done it until I got here.»

Howard, the No. 1 draft pick and Rookie of the Year out of Kentucky in 2022, also credited first-year Dream coach Karl Smesko. His offensive system that was successful for many years at Florida Gulf Coast has translated well in his first season in the WNBA.

The Dream had 19 3-pointers Friday, tying the New York Liberty for the regular-season record. The Las Vegas Aces hit 23 3-pointers in a playoff game in 2022.

«As far as the system, I knew it was gonna be great for me,» Howard said of playing for Smesko. «Everybody was like, 'He likes 3's and layups.' Everybody knows I like 3's. I'm going to get them up, but the fact that I can still continue to hit them consistently, that's the most important part.»

Howard has 97 3-pointers despite missing 11 games to injury this season. That included a stretch of 10 consecutive regular-season games and the WNBA All-Star Game with a knee injury in