Atlanta Dream Sweep New York Liberty 85-83 to Reach First WNBA Finals Since 2013

The Atlanta Dream are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 after holding off the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday night to finish a three-game sweep of their semifinal series.

Angel Reese scored 22 points and Rhyne Howard added 21 for the fourth-seeded Dream, who remain unbeaten in this postseason, according to the Associated Press. Atlanta had not reached the semifinals since 2018 before this run and is now four wins from the first championship in franchise history.

Reese, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after arriving in Atlanta in an offseason trade, set the tone early with 10 first-quarter points. Howard added 11 in the opening period as Atlanta built an early lead, the AP reported.

Late stop seals the sweep

Atlanta carried a narrow advantage into the closing seconds despite playing without leading scorer Allisha Gray, who missed her second straight game with a finger injury sustained in Game 1. After a late turnover gave New York a final chance while trailing 83-81, Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds remaining. DeWanna Bonner then made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to secure the win, according to the AP.

Jonquel Jones and Stewart each scored 26 points for New York, the AP reported. The Liberty, the No. 8 seed, had upset top-seeded Minnesota in the first round but could not extend the series against Atlanta.

Atlanta will open the Finals on Saturday, Oct. 17, against Golden State, which swept Las Vegas in the other semifinal, according to the AP.

Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press via theScore and USA Today.