The Atlanta Dream are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. They beat the New York Liberty 85 to 83 on Friday night, Oct. 9, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to complete a three game sweep, with Angel Reese leading the way with 22 points.
Atlanta will face the Golden State Valkyries, who swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces later the same night. Game 1 is Saturday, Oct. 17, in San Francisco, and both franchises are chasing their first championship.
How did the Dream finish off the Liberty?
It looked easy early. Atlanta hit five of its first eight 3 pointers and led 25 to 18 after the opening quarter. Reese had 18 points by halftime, including a pair of threes, and the Dream took a 44 to 39 lead into the break in front of a sellout crowd of 17,991.
Then the game got personal. Officials twice had to separate players during a physical second quarter. Reese and Sabrina Ionescu traded words after an offensive foul call, and minutes later Jonquel Jones blocked Reese’s shot, sparking a face to face confrontation that earned both players technical fouls.
Did the Liberty almost force a Game 4?
They came close. Facing elimination, Breanna Stewart scored 10 points in the third quarter and Jones added nine as New York ripped off a 17 to 4 run in under four minutes. A 12 point Atlanta lead became a one point Liberty edge, and Brooklyn was rocking.
Atlanta was also playing without Allisha Gray, one of its leading scorers, who missed her second straight game with a hand injury. With the momentum gone and a key piece missing, the Dream had every reason to fold.
Who stepped up for Atlanta?
Everyone who touched the floor. Rhyne Howard scored 21 points. Jordin Canada added 19 points and 11 assists. DeWanna Bonner, who turned 39 just weeks ago and asked Phoenix to buy out her contract so she could chase a title, grabbed 13 points and 13 rebounds. Australian rookie Isobel Borlase hit five of six shots off the bench, and coach Karl Smesko said afterward he did not think Atlanta wins either of the last two games without her.
Reese was the heartbeat. She went 6 for 6 at the free throw line, hit half her 3 pointers and pulled down nine rebounds. Nearly a year to the day earlier, she had posted online about manifesting a Finals trip. Traded to Atlanta from Chicago last offseason, she said after the game that she felt she was supposed to be here.
What decided the game?
Defense. In the fourth quarter, with their season on the line, the Liberty scored just 15 points. They missed 10 of 15 shots and went 1 for 7 from beyond the arc.
The final minutes came down to two veterans. Canada scored a key basket. Then Bonner stepped to the line and calmly made both free throws to keep New York at arm’s length. When the buzzer sounded, the Dream had won their sixth straight game against the Liberty, including the regular season.
Stewart summed it up simply. She said Atlanta works together, and that defense really does win championships.
When do the 2026 WNBA Finals start?
The best of seven series opens Saturday, Oct. 17, in San Francisco, with Game 2 on Monday, Oct. 19. Atlanta hosts Games 3 and 4 on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 24. As of Friday night, the cheapest tickets for Atlanta’s Game 3 started around $257.
The Dream lost in the Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013. For a city that has waited a long time to celebrate, this team now stands four wins from history.
