WNBA playoff takeaways: Sabrina Ionescu's big night leads Liberty; Wings use 20-point comeback to top Dream

Ionescu sinks franchise playoff high seven 3-pointers; Rhyne Howard's 36 points is postseason debut high

The New York Liberty had to work hard against a physical Washington Mystics squad, but they eventually pulled away in the second half for a 90-75 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series on Friday night. Sabrina Ionescu led the way with a game-high 29 points, and made a franchise playoff record seven 3-pointers. The host Liberty also got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Jonquel Jones, and 19 points and eight rebounds from Betnijah Laney, who helped make up for Breanna Stewart's rough outing. 

In the second game of the doubleheader, the host Dallas Wings pulled off a 20-point comeback to stun the Atlanta Dream, 94-82. Satou Sabally, the leading candidate for Most Improved Player, went off for 32 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals to set a franchise playoff scoring record. Her huge effort ensured the Wings got the win despite a 36-point outing by Rhyne Howard, who set WNBA records for most points and 3-pointers (eight) in a playoff debut. With the comeback, teams that trailed by 20 points at some point in a game are now 3-91 in 2023. Furthermore, this was the first time in league history that two opponents have each had 30 points and three steals in the same game. 

Both of these series will resume on Tuesday evening. The Liberty and Wings will have a chance to close out their respective series at home, while both the Mystics and Dream will look to stay alive and force a deciding Game 3 at home. 

Here are some key takeaways from Friday's games:

Ionescu goes off

The Liberty winning a playoff game by 15 points when Breanna Stewart shot 3 of 16 from the field was only possible because Sabrina Ionescu picked up the slack. Few players in the league are as dangerous as Ionescu when she gets going, as the Mystics found out in the second half when she buried them with an avalanche of 3-pointers.

Ionescu was decent in the first half, but it wasn't until the middle of the third quarter that she really found a rhythm. Once she did, the Mystics couldn't throw her off. She scored 20 of her game-high 29 points in the final 15 minutes, and missed only two shots in that span. Her mini runs at the end of the third quarter and middle of the fourth were vital to the Liberty's winning effort. The latter, in particular, essentially ended the game. After the Mystics started the fourth on a decent run to cut the deficit to six, Ionescu buried back-to-back triples to push it back to 12.

Ionescu's ability to catch fire, especially from deep, is a major reason the Liberty had a historic offensive attack this season. She set the new WNBA player record for 3s in a season with 128, while the team set new team record with 444. In this series, it already was, and will be, an issue for the Mystics, who are going to run into a math problem with their lack of outside shooting. 

Sabally delivers in huge comeback

Satou Sabally had a frustrating start to her WNBA career. She entered the league during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to play her rookie season in a bubble, and then struggled with injuries in each of the next two seasons. Entering this summer, she had played just 44 career games. 

This season, she finally made good on the promise that made her the No. 2 overall pick back in 2020, and is the leading candidate for Most Improved Player. We saw why in Game 1, as she put together a brilliant all-around performance to lead the Wings back from a 20-point first-half deficit. 

Sabally was all over the place on both sides of the ball. She was driving to the basket, knocking down 3s, running in transition, crashing the glass and jumping into passing lanes en route to 32 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. In the process she set a new franchise playoff scoring record. 

The fourth-year forward has emerged as the Wings' best player this season, and this game was further proof. Her versatility as a forward is incredibly difficult to deal with, and the Dream don't appear to have anyone who can guard her, which is bad news for their chances of staving off elimination. 

Howard's big night in vain

Game 1 on Friday night was the first playoff game Rhyne Howard had ever played in, but you would have thought she was a seasoned vet by the way she performed and carried herself. It only took a few minutes to see that she was dailed in, and she poured in 19 points in the first quarter alone, which was a WNBA playoff record for the most points ever in a first quarter. 

Though she cooled off in the second quarter, Howard eventually reaserted herself and got locked in a duel with Satou Sabally over who was the best player on the floor. While Sabally eventually won that battle, it wasn't for lack of effort or production on Howard's part. She hit eight 3-pointers and poured in 36 points, and added four rebounds, two assists and three steals. 

In the process, Howard set new WNBA records for points and 3-pointers in a playoff debut. The only downside was that the Dream didn't take advantage of her big night. During the regular season, they were 12-5 when she shot over 40%, and it always seemed like their best path to an upset was Howard going off one night. Well, she did, and they still lost anyway. That does not bode well for the remainder of the series. 

[Sep 15, 2023 at 11:45 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Final: Wings 94 -- Dream 82

The Wings held on down the stretch to complete their 20-point comeback and take a 1-0 series lead over the Dream. In the postseason their comeback was the third-biggest of all time and biggest since 2014. Satou Sabally led the way with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals to set a new franchise playoff scoring record. 

Sabally's big night helped the Wings outlast a historic showing from Rhyne Howard, who dropped 36 points and made eight 3-pointers to set WNBA records in both categories in a playoff debut. 

[Sep 15, 2023 at 11:31 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Wings surging

The Wings have gone on an 11-4 run over the last three minutes since the game was tied at 76-76, and are now in control heading down the stretch. This would be a super impressive win if they are able to hang on here. Their defense has been excellent since the first quarter. Let's see if they can keep it up for these key possessions

[Sep 15, 2023 at 11:24 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Sabally is cooking

Satou Sabally just cruised down the lane for a layup to put the Wings up by four, which is their biggest lead of the game. Sabally is up to 32 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals; she is the first player in league history to have such a statline in the playoffs

[Sep 15, 2023 at 11:16 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Howard makes history

This is Rhyne Howard's first playoff game, and she's up to 34 points. That's a new record for points in a WNBA playoff debut. Her eight 3-pointers are also the most by any player in their first playoff game. 

[Sep 15, 2023 at 11:09 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Third quarter: Dream 70 -- Wings 67

This is turning into a terrific game, featuring an awesome duel between Satou Sabally and Rhyne Howard. The Dream guard has 31 points to lead all scorers, while the versatile Wings forward has 27 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. It should be a fun final quarter. Can the Dream hold on and steal homecourt advantage? Or will the Wings complete their 20-point comeback?