{
  "id": 15953555,
  "title": "Dream hoping for Rhyne Howard breakout in WNBA Finals Game 3",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/dream-hoping-for-rhyne-howard-breakout-in-wnba-finals-game-3",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-21T20:39:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dream-hoping-rhyne-howard-breakout-203902514.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Atlanta Dream's Rhyne Howard had a remarkable Game 2 in the WNBA Finals, even though her offensive numbers were lackluster. While she averaged 74 points in Game 1 and 79 in Game 2, her offensive rating remained unimpressive at 74 and 79 respectively. Despite this, Atlanta has managed to even up the series thanks to Howard's defensive prowess. In Game 2, she recorded her Finals-record sixth steal, contributing to her team's 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries. Atlanta is currently on a 6-1 playoff run, just two wins away from their first-ever championship. Head coach Karl Smesko believes that if the Dream continue to pressure Golden State in transition, it could lead to a breakout performance from Howard. She has been selected as a first-team All-Defense pick and remains a crucial part of the Dream's strategy despite her shooting struggles.",
  "summary": "Howard getting hot would change the series.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "See the raucous 'Ballhalla' crowd of Valkyries fans at Game 2 of WNBA Finals",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/see-the-raucous-ballhalla-crowd-of-valkyries-fans-at-game-2-of-wnba",
        "published": "2026-10-20T19:17:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}