Atlanta 85, New York 83 · Barclays Center · Dream win series 3-0
The Atlanta Dream are going back to the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese scored 22 and Rhyne Howard added 21 as the fourth-seeded Dream held off the Liberty in Brooklyn, completing a semifinal sweep and staying perfect through the 2026 postseason.
It's the franchise's fourth Finals trip and first since 2013 — and a near-exact one-year bookend for Reese, who publicly said she was manifesting a Finals run while watching last year's series from home.
Fast start, nervy finish
Atlanta came out firing: Howard scored 11 in the first quarter and Reese added 10, including two threes, as the Dream hit 5 of 8 from deep and led 25-18 after one. The lead reached 12 in the first half before a chippy second quarter and a New York push turned it into a one-possession game the rest of the way.
The Dream went up 83-79 with a minute left, and Jonquel Jones' layup cut it to two. Breanna Stewart got a look at a tying layup inside the final 10 seconds but couldn't convert, and veteran DeWanna Bonner sealed it at the line with 6.2 seconds left.
New York's run ends
The Liberty were the first No. 8 seed ever to win a playoff series, knocking out top-seeded Minnesota in the first round. Head coach Chris DeMarco shortened his rotation to eight players in the elimination game, but Atlanta's defense — which forced 35 turnovers across the first two games — never let New York settle in.
By the numbers
- Angel Reese — 22 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk
- Rhyne Howard — 21 pts (11 in the 1st quarter)
- Jonquel Jones — 26 pts, 14 reb, 3 blk
- Breanna Stewart — 26 pts
- Sabrina Ionescu — 12 pts on 4-of-12
- Atlanta postseason record: 7-0
Up next: Atlanta opens the Finals at Golden State on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Dream have never won a Finals game — they were swept in each of their previous three trips.
Published on womenssec.com. Statistics referenced are as of the publication date.