The Atlanta Dream can reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 with a win Friday night, when they visit the New York Liberty for Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series at Barclays Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Atlanta, the No. 4 seed at 30-14, leads the series 2-0 and is 4-0 in the postseason. New York, the No. 8 seed at 26-18, swept top-seeded Minnesota in the first round to become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed. The Liberty now need three straight wins to extend their season, and no team has overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five WNBA series.
The Dream have played in the WNBA Finals three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2013, all during Angel McCoughtry’s time with the franchise. Atlanta has not won a championship, and this is its first semifinal appearance since 2018.
Atlanta took Game 2 on Wednesday, 101-98 in overtime, without All-Star guard Allisha Gray. Six Dream players scored in double figures, led by Jordin Canada and Angel Reese with 23 points each. Reese, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, scored six points in overtime and made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left before Breanna Stewart missed a potential tying 3-pointer. Stewart finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds.
New York shot 54.7% from the field and 48.0% from 3-point range in the loss. The difference was possessions. The Liberty committed 17 turnovers to Atlanta’s nine, and the Dream took 84 shots to New York’s 64.
Turnovers also decided Game 1, a 92-82 Atlanta win. New York gave the ball away 21 times, and the Dream scored 32 points off those turnovers while outscoring the Liberty 32-15 in the third quarter. Canada had 25 points and five steals, and DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 27 points, and Jonquel Jones had 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Canada said after Game 2 that the Dream focused on “managing our emotions and valuing possessions.”
Canada is averaging 19.3 points and 8.3 assists in the postseason while shooting 50.0% from the field. Rhyne Howard is averaging 18.8 points, and Reese is averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
Gray, who averaged 19.0 points in the regular season and set the franchise single-season scoring record, injured her left hand in Game 1 and is listed as questionable. Forward Brionna Jones is out with a left leg injury.
The Dream have already won twice at Barclays Center in the past three weeks, 95-84 on Sept. 21 and 83-65 on Sept. 23, to close the regular season. Atlanta has won eight straight road games and four straight against New York. The Liberty’s only win in five meetings this season came on June 11 in Atlanta, 104-90.
Game 4, if necessary, is Sunday in Brooklyn.
Discover more from KB Sports Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
