WASHINGTON (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 22 points, Jordin Canada had 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Atlanta Dream advanced to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2018, beating the Washington Mystics 93-75 in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday night.
Atlanta, which had lost in the first round in each of the last three seasons, will host Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday against New York, which swept Minnesota to become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history.
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Atlanta Dream guard Matilde Villa, center, is fouled against by Washington Mystics guard Alicia Florez (2) during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward DeWanna Bonner (24) celebrates with forward Angel Reese, right, after making a three-point basket against the Washington Mystics during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts after being fouled against during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Washington Mystics, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada (3) celebrates after making a three-point basket against the Washington Mystics during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) celebrates with teammates after being fouled against during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Washington Mystics, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Canada made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, and she added a jumper from the free-throw line on Atlanta's next trip for an 89-70 lead with 2:58 left.
Canada also had 11 assists and seven rebounds. Rhyne Howard finished with 15 points before fouling out with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter. Angel Reese also had 15 points and Naz Hillmon added 10.
Sonia Citron scored 25 points for Washington. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 16 rebounds and became the first player in franchise history to have a first-half double-double in a playoff game.
Atlanta led 41-28 with 1:26 left in the first half before Washington closed on a 7-0 run, capped by Citron's shot in the lane just before the buzzer. The Mystics were hurt by 11 first-half turnovers.
Washington went on a 14-2 run starting in the third quarter to get within 65-62. But Atlanta scored the next 13 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Canada, to rebuild a double-digit lead at 78-62.
The Mystics were making their first playoff appearance since winning the 2019 WNBA championship.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Atlanta Dream guard Matilde Villa, center, is fouled against by Washington Mystics guard Alicia Florez (2) during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward DeWanna Bonner (24) celebrates with forward Angel Reese, right, after making a three-point basket against the Washington Mystics during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts after being fouled against during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Washington Mystics, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada (3) celebrates after making a three-point basket against the Washington Mystics during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) celebrates with teammates after being fouled against during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Washington Mystics, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall didn't practice Wednesday and coach Aaron Glenn said he's considered “week to week” as he recovers from a quadriceps injury.
Hall, the Jets' leading rusher, is expected to miss the game Sunday at Chicago. He was hurt early in the fourth quarter of New York's 31-24 loss at Detroit last Sunday when down while being forced out of bounds after running for no gain.
In addition to Hall, left guard Dylan Parham (knee), wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger), tight end Mason Taylor (thumb) and linebacker Kiko Mauigoa (quadriceps) also didn't practice and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
Hall, who was held to just 32 yards on 13 carries against the Lions, will be replaced by Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis in the Jets' backfield. Hall, signed to a three-year contract extension worth up to $45.75 million in May, had 102 yards and a touchdown in the season opener at Tennessee and ran for 29 yards against Green Bay in Week 2.
Allen has 61 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries this season while serving as Hall's primary backup. The third-year running back played in just four games last season after suffering a knee injury, but has shown he's now fully healthy.
Davis, also in his third season, missed a large part of training camp with a knee injury. He has no carries or catches this season while playing only on special teams during the first three games.
"He's going to get his shot," Glenn said. “I've always said with those three guys, man, listen, I'm good with any of them and they'll go out there and make plays for us."
Parham was hurt in the third quarter against Detroit during a sack of Geno Smith. He was replaced by Landon Meredith, who could do so again Sunday at Chicago.
Mitchell, Taylor and Mauigoa all missed the game last week with their injuries.
In positive injury news, Glenn said safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was expected to be limited at practice Wednesday and has a chance to play Sunday after injuring his groin early in the season opener.
Fitzpatrick, who had sat out practice since the injury, has been replaced the past two weeks by Andre Cisco.
Tight ends Kenyon Sadiq (back) and Jeremy Ruckert (knee) and edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare (knee) were also limited, but like Fitzpatrick, Glenn was optimistic about all of their chances of playing.
Running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu was a full participant after missing the first three games with a back injury.
With Parham out and the offensive line struggling, the Jets signed center Nick Dawkins — son of the late NBA star Darryl Dawkins — to the practice squad on Tuesday.
The younger Dawkins was signed by Baltimore in the spring as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, where he was teammates for four seasons with current Jets left tackle Olu Fashanu. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Dawkins was released by the Ravens as part of their final roster cuts in August.
Dawkins’ backboard-smashing father isn’t the only famous athlete in the family. Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins is a distant cousin and Karl-Anthony Towns of the defending NBA champion New York Knicks is his father’s godson.
He remembers being about 7 years old when his mother found a collection on YouTube of some of the NBA's top 10 plays — and his father was featured prominently.
“We’re just watching them and the last, like, three clips, I think No. 1 and No. 3 were him breaking the backboard,” Dawkins recalled with a big smile. “I was like, ‘Oh!’ And he was just so cool as a cucumber, man. He was like, ‘That’s what I do, yeah.’”
Nick Dawkins was only 13 when his father died of a heart attack on Aug. 27, 2015, at 58. Darryl Dawkins last played in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons during the 1988-89 season, but he continued his professional career into his early 40s with stints in Italy, the Harlem Globetrotters, the NBA G League and the USBL. He was coaching when his son was born in 2002, but family, friends and former teammates and opponents have shared plenty of tales over the years.
“I’m just jealous of them because a lot of these people got to see him on TV, see him in real life, in like real time, in present time, and I only got to hear stories,” said Nick Dawkins, now 24. “His personality was larger than life and a lot of times when people come and talk to me talk about something crazy he did or something, it was always in good nature, always to help people. I always appreciate it because I know him as my dad.”
Dawkins said he watched clips of his father's NBA days before every game he played at Penn State.
“I couldn’t really tell you why,” he said. “Maybe it’s a little bit of grief still. For some reason, it was just part of my routine and they got me ready to play."
And he knows his father would be proud of his journey.
“To have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the NFL team, I mean, I was on the couch a couple of days ago thinking about my mortality and my professional career and whatever that may be,” he said. “So my dad would say just have fun with it, show gratitude to everyone and remember how blessed you are.”
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
New York Jets' Breece Hall gets past Detroit Lions' Rock Ya-Sin during the first half of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
New York Jets' Dylan Parham is injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
New York Jets' Breece Hall is injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
