The Atlanta Dream are one victory away from reaching the WNBA Finals, and they are finding ways to win even without one of their biggest stars. Atlanta defeated the New York Liberty 101-98 in overtime Wednesday night in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Angel Reese and Jordin Canada led the Dream with 23 points apiece, helping Atlanta overcome a spectacular performance from Liberty star Breanna Stewart.
The victory puts the Dream in position to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. More importantly, it shows just how dangerous Atlanta has become during its postseason run. Playing without injured All-Star Allisha Gray, the Dream once again relied on their depth and ability to make timely plays when the game was on the line.
Gray, Atlanta's leading scorer during the regular season, suffered a hand injury in Game 1 and was unavailable for Game 2. Losing a player of her caliber could have been devastating for a team facing an experienced Liberty squad. Instead, Atlanta has continued finding answers from different players.
Canada followed up her 25-point performance in Game 1 with another impressive outing, scoring 23 points and dishing out eight assists. Reese matched Canada's scoring total while adding seven rebounds, giving Atlanta another major offensive contributor in a game where every possession mattered. Rhyne Howard finished with 18 points, while Naz Hillmon added 12 and veteran DeWanna Bonner contributed 10.
Atlanta's balanced scoring proved crucial against a New York offense that was firing on all cylinders. A big part of that was the play by Stewart who delivered one of the most impressive performances of the postseason, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The former WNBA MVP was nearly unstoppable during the first half, scoring 25 points while making eight of her nine field goal attempts.
Her performance helped keep New York in position to steal a victory on the road and return home with the series tied. Jonquel Jones added 21 points, while Marine Fauthoux provided a significant spark off the bench with 20. The Liberty shot an impressive 54.7 percent from the field and connected on 48 percent of their 3-point attempts.
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