Rhyne Howard scores a career-high 43 points and helps Dream defeat Sparks

Rhyne Howard hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 43 points – one shy of Atlanta’s single-game franchise record – on 14-of-20 shooting to help the Dream set their single-game scoring record and defeat the visiting Los Angeles Sparks 112-84 Sunday.

Atlanta (7-8), which has won back-to-back games after a three-game slip, set a season high for points in a game, topping the 100-point plateau for the second time this season.

Howard made 9 of 12 from the field and scored 25 points before halftime – a franchise record for first half points and most points scored by a WNBA player in a half this season.

Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles (7-10) with 25 points. Dearica Hamby scored 18 with eight rebounds, Auzra Stevens added 13 points and nine boards, and Zia Cooke scored 11 points.

Howard’s 40-point performance was fifth in the WNBA season, a single-season record. The previous high was three (2006, `08, ’15).

Williams rises as Sky drops Fever

Courtney Williams hit the lead jumper with 18.1 seconds to play and finished with a season-high 28 points with eight assists to help the visiting Chicago Sky beat the Indiana Fever 89-87 on Sunday.

Elizabeth Williams added 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Chicago (8-9). Marina Mabrey also had 17 points and six assists, and Kahleah Copper scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Emre Vatansever, named interim coach and general manager of Chicago on Saturday, won his first game at the helm of the Sky. Vatansever took over from James Wade, who joined the coaching staff of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

Indiana’s Maya Caldwell missed a clean look at a potential tying three-pointer from the right corner with about two seconds left and after the ball went out of the air, Kelsey Mitchell missed another at the buzzer.

Smith led Indiana (5-11) with 27 points, on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds. Mitchell added a season-high 26 points.

Freedom overwhelms Storm

Breanna Stewart had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Courtney Vandersloot added 18 points and 12 assists, and the New York Liberty defeated the Storm 81-66 on Sunday in Seattle.

Vandersloot had her fifth double-double this season and her seventh game with at least 10 assists. Sabrina Ionescu scored 13 points and Betnijah Laney finished with 10 for New York (11-4).

Stewart made two mid-range jumpers, then assisted on a 3-pointer from Ionescu that made it 7-0 and the Liberty never trailed. Marine Johannes hit a 3 to close the first quarter and another to open the second that extended the lead to 15 points and Ionescu made a 3-pointer about 2 1/2 minutes into the second half that gave New York the biggest lead of the game at 49-27.

Jewell Loyd, who entered the game leading the league in scoring at 25.7 per game (Stewart is tied with Arike Ogunbowale for No. 2 at 22.1), led Seattle (4-11) with 27 points. Ezi Magbegor added 12 points and Sami Whitcomb and Canada’s Kia Nurse scored 10 points each.

New York finished with 16 steals on the season—including five by Stewart and four by Vandersloot—and had 29 assists on 33 field goals made.

The Storm have lost three games in a row and five of their last six.

New York responded to a 98-81 loss at the WNBA-leading Las Vegas Aces on Thursday to win for the fifth time in six games.

Wings top short handed Mystics

Satou Sabally and Teaira McCowan each had a double-double, Arike Ogunbowale scored all of her 17 points in the second half, and host Dallas Wings defeated the short-handed Washington Mystics 89-72 on Sunday.

Sabally scored 27 points with 15 rebounds and McCowan added 10 and 11 boards. Natasha Howard scored 13 points for Dallas (8-8). Sabally has 11 double-doubles this season, second most in the WNBA.

McCowan scored in to make it 33-31 with 1:38 left in the first half and the Wings led the rest of the way. Ogunbowale scored 14 points in the third quarter as Dallas beat the Mystics 30-16 to take control for good.

Ariel Atkins led Washington with 18 points, 15 in the first half. Brittney Sykes scored 15 points and Tianna Hawkins added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mystics have lost three of their last four games after a three-game winning streak.