The Atlanta Dream’s dreamy 2025 season quickly turned into a heartbreak. Their franchise-best 30-14 regular season ended in a gut-wrenching 87-85 loss to the Indiana Fever in Game 3 of the WNBA playoff first round. All thanks to Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull for powering the Fever to the semifinals.
With the No. 3 seed and home-court advantage, the Dream seemed poised to advance, especially after Rhyne Howard’s late three-pointer gave them an 85-80 lead with 2:32 left. However, despite all that happened on the court, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, no stranger to playoff pain himself, rallied the Dream with words of encouragement.
Atlanta Dream Had Encouraging Words From Trae Young
The Dream kept on kicking till the final whistle of the game. But a defensive collapse and missed free throws let the Fever steal the series, leaving Atlanta stunned. For a team that transformed from last season’s 15-25 afterthought to a legitimate contender, this loss stings, but it also sets the stage for what could be a defining offseason in Atlanta.
However, with the game slipping away in the final moments, the Dream’s collapse was sealed by Aliyah Boston’s layup with 7.4 seconds left. For the shot, Odyssey Sims set her up with a pass after Atlanta’s defense left her wide open. The Dream’s final chance fizzled when Brionna Jones’ buzzer-beating three-pointer missed, ending their deepest playoff run since 2018.
Trae Young, watching from afar, felt the weight of the moment and posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Ughhh, I know this was a tough way to lose but We gonna bounce back!! @AtlantaDream,” the NBA star wrote.
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Ughhh😓 I know this was a tough way to lose but We gonna bounce back!! @AtlantaDream
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) September 19, 2025
Though his words carried extra heft given his own history, as he himself led the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals only to fall to the champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Atlanta Dream Had No Answer To Indiana Fever’s Free Throw Shooting
Despite the loss, Allisha Gray delivered a playoff career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordin Canada added 18 points and 10 assists. But their 5-of-11 free-throw shooting and 17 fouls compared to Indiana’s 24-of-34 from the line proved costly.
Additionally, Rhyne Howard, who led the WNBA in three-pointers during the regular season, struggled with a 0-for-4 night from deep in Game 2, though her Game 3 triple briefly sparked hope. However, coach Karl Smesko had nothing but brutal honesty on the Dream’s loss to Indiana.
The Dream’s Game 3 loss exposed their Achilles’ heel while closing out tight games. Despite shooting 50% from the field, their inability to stop Indiana’s late 7-0 run and capitalize on free throws mirrored issues from earlier in the season, like a narrow loss to the Las Vegas Aces in August.