Atlanta Dream's head coach, Karl Smesko, praised Rhyne Howard for her outstanding performance against the Chicago Sky. Howard achieved a career milestone by making nine 3-pointers, matching the WNBA single-game record. She scored a season-high 36 points, leading the Dream to an 88-70 victory on Friday. Despite not scoring in the first quarter, she rebounded with 11 points during Atlanta's decisive 18-3 run in the fourth quarter.Howard's second-half performance was remarkable, according to Smesko. "The big story of the day is Rhyne's second half, how she just got it going and kept it going," he said. This game marked her ninth career 30-point game, placing her second in franchise history behind Angel McCoughtry's 32. Additionally, Howard set a new franchise record for most 3-pointers in a game, surpassing Renee Montgomery's previous record of eight from 2018.

In the same match, Brittney Griner of Atlanta moved into second place on the WNBA career blocks list by surpassing Lisa Leslie. Griner achieved her 823rd block in the fourth quarter and now only trails Margo Dydek's record of 877 blocks. Griner expressed her pride in this achievement: "A lot of the accolades or stats don't matter much to me, but if there's one, it's the blocked shots."Howard reflected on her shooting success during the game: "I think just seeing the first couple go in got me going," she said. Previously, she had forgotten what it felt like to make a three-pointer consistently. Meanwhile, Griner acknowledged Lisa Leslie as one of the greats and felt honoured to be second on the blocks list: "That one meant a lot to me," she added.Howard joins an elite group of players who have reached this three-point milestone alongside Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, and Kelsey Mitchell. Her performance not only set records but also highlighted her potential as a key player for Atlanta Dream moving forward.