The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday night at Barclays Center, completing a 3-0 sweep of the WNBA Semifinals and punching their ticket to the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese led the Dream with 22 points, and Rhyne Howard added 21 as the fourth-seeded Dream closed out the series on the road.
New York trimmed what had been a double-digit deficit by outscoring Atlanta 29-19 in the third quarter, but the Liberty managed just 15 points in the fourth and could not complete the comeback. Jonquel Jones led all scorers for New York with 26 points and added 14 rebounds, while Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds left that would have tied or won the game for the Liberty.
Dream Beat Liberty To Reach WNBA Finals
Atlanta still led 83-81 with 17.7 seconds remaining after New York forced a turnover to get the ball back for one final possession. Stewart’s layup attempt in the final seconds did not fall, and DeWanna Bonner sealed the win for the Atlanta Dream by hitting two free throws with 6.2 seconds left, pushing the margin to the final 85-83.
The linescore shows Atlanta built its cushion early, outscoring New York 25-18 in the first quarter and carrying a 44-39 lead into halftime. The Liberty’s third-quarter surge, fueled largely by Jones and Stewart, pulled New York within two points before Atlanta’s free-throw shooting down the stretch kept the Dream in front for good. The Dream finished the game 22-of-24 from the line.
Top Performers
Reese finished with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting to go with nine rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes. Howard scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. Jordin Canada ran the offense with 19 points and 11 assists, and Bonner grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds to go with 13 points.
For New York, Jones posted a game-high 26 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. Stewart finished with 26 points and six assists but went just 6-of-15 from the field. Sabrina Ionescu added 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
What It Means
Atlanta has not lost a game in this postseason and improves to 30-14 overall. The sweep sends the Dream to the WNBA Finals, and it marks their first trip back to the semifinals since 2018 before this season. Atlanta is now four wins away from the franchise’s first championship.
New York’s season ends at 26-18 after falling in three straight games to close the semifinal series.
What’s Next
Atlanta will face the winner of the Las Vegas-Golden State series when the WNBA Finals begin Saturday, Oct. 17, according to ESPN. The Dream will be seeking their first championship in franchise history, a storyline that follows Reese’s standout 2026 campaign detailed in Total Apex Sports’ coverage of her Defensive Player of the Year honor.
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