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Dream Sweep Liberty 85-83, Reach First WNBA Finals Since 2013
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- Dream Sweep Liberty 85-83, Reach First WNBA Finals Since 2013
(Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
Angel Reese scored 22 points, Rhyne Howard added 21, and the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to finish a three-game sweep of their WNBA semifinal.
The fourth-seeded Dream are going to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. They are 5-0 in the postseason after sweeping Washington in two games and New York in three. Before this season, Atlanta had not reached the semifinals since 2018.
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Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds left and Atlanta ahead 83-81. DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining.
Dream coach Karl Smesko said Atlanta did not want to give New York momentum by letting the series continue.
"Obviously, another outstanding game, back and forth, and we feel great that we made the last couple of plays and are moving on to the finals," Smesko said. "I'm proud of the way our players competed, pulled together, and held on to win."
Atlanta Gets Production Across the Lineup
Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists and went 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. Bonner finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Isobel Borlase scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
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Stewart and Jonquel Jones each scored 26 points for New York. Stewart went 13-of-13 at the line and had six assists. Jones made 11 of her 17 shots and grabbed 14 rebounds, six of them offensive.
Sabrina Ionescu scored all 12 of her points on 3-pointers, going 4-of-11 from deep, and finished with five fouls.
Atlanta played without Allisha Gray for a second straight game. Gray hurt her hand in Game 1 and was ruled out of Game 2 . She warmed up Friday and was ruled out about an hour before tip-off, then watched from the bench wearing a Howard jersey.
Howard scored 11 points in the first quarter. Reese had 10 in the period, including two 3-pointers, and Atlanta led 25-18 after one.
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After Borlase scored twice in a row in the second quarter, Ionescu was called for an offensive foul on a screen she set on her. Ionescu and Reese had to be separated by officials.
Jones and Reese were both given technical fouls a few minutes later after Jones blocked Reese's shot and the two bumped chests.
Reese finished 6-of-6 at the free-throw line.
"I have highs and lows, and sometimes I get to a high and then tell the team to manage our emotions," Reese said. "At the free-throw line I've been confident throughout the playoffs. The arena is loud and supportive, so I just stepped up confidently."
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"DeWanna Bonner keeps it real and keeps us humble," Reese continued. "She reminds us that reaching the finals isn't enough, because she has been there and lost before. Those tough conversations push us to the next level."
Dream Survive New York's Second-Half Push
New York cut the deficit to 40-39 late in the half. Reese scored the last four points of the second quarter for a 44-39 halftime lead.
The Dream opened the third quarter with seven straight points to go up 51-39.
New York answered with a 16-4 run that began with 10 unanswered points, and a Jones tip-in gave the Liberty their first lead since 2-0. New York led 68-66 after three quarters.
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Atlanta trailed by four early in the fourth. The Dream then scored eight straight to lead 75-71 with 4:55 left, and New York went more than six minutes without a field goal.
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said an Atlanta timeout gave his group enough of a break to stay on the floor.
"I knew I had two timeouts I could burn before the three-minute mark," DeMarco said. "We made a run, so let's stick with that unit, use our timeouts the right way, and get them some rest. They had called a timeout, so we thought we were okay there."
Atlanta went ahead 83-79 with a minute to play. Jones answered with a layup.
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A Dream turnover gave New York the ball down 83-81 with 17.7 seconds left, and Stewart drove for the layup she missed.
Canada scored eight of her points in the paint. DeMarco said the Dream guard did her damage there.
"Even on makes, Canada was racing us before we could get our shell defense," DeMarco explained. "She obviously hurt us in the paint. They made a few more plays than us. But I thought we had good looks. We missed a few that could have turned the game the other way, and had a couple of missed opportunities on the glass. But what a great team they are, what a good team we are. It was just a battle out there. It was a battle."
Atlanta outrebounded New York 43-36 and made 22 of 24 free throws. The Liberty made 20 of 21 and scored 24 second-chance points.
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Dream Complete Perfect Run Through Semifinals
Atlanta won Game 1 92-82 on Oct. 4 behind 25 points from Canada. Game 2 went to overtime Wednesday, and Naz Hillmon's layup with 20.8 seconds left put Atlanta ahead for good in a 101-98 win.
Reese, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, joined Atlanta in an offseason trade. She averaged 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds during the regular season, when the Dream went 30-14 to match the franchise record for wins they set in 2025.
Atlanta won the regular-season series against New York 2-1.
New York finished 26-18 and entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. The Liberty, who won the 2024 championship and the 2026 Commissioner's Cup, swept top-seeded Minnesota in the first round.
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The Finals begin Saturday, Oct. 17. Atlanta will face the winner of the Las Vegas-Golden State semifinal, which the Valkyries lead 2-0 after Veronica Burton's late 3-pointer in Game 2 .
Game 1 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
