There's some interesting scheduling by the WNBA now that we are into the semifinal playoff round, as the league isn't staggering the two series so we have one game per night but instead is pairing them. The first game of the semifinal doubleheader tonight is No. 8 seed New York at No. 4 Atlanta in Game 2, and the big story line is Dream All-Star and leading scorer Allisha Gray being out with an injury. Trade on sports at Kalshi with the best promo code CBSSPORTS55 and get a $55 bonus after $25 in trades: It's a 7:30 p.m.
At -1.5 at DraftKings, the Dream are taking 54% of handle and 57% of wagers. The total of 170.5 is seeing a solid Under lean. The numbers for Game 1 were similar, with Atlanta closing at -3.5 and a total of 172.5 – so you can somewhat see what the sportsbooks value Gray at -- and the Dream rallied for a 92-82 victory despite losing Gray in the first half to a left (shooting) hand injury.
Spend $5+ and get $150 in bonus bets instantly at DraftKings here: She was initially injured at the end of the first quarter but returned in the second with her pinkie and ring finger taped. But Gray apparently didn't care for that, as she ditched those shortly after checking in, only to leave for good later in the quarter. She watched the second half from the bench with a splint on her finger.
The Dream are simply calling her day-to-day and didn't reveal what X-rays showed. Gray, who averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game during the season and put up 22.0 PPG in the first round of the playoffs, had seven points on 1-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes of Game 1 vs. "Nobody's going to try to be Lish because, I mean, there's only one Lish," coach Karl Smesko told the media Tuesday.
"Lish is one of the best players in the league. She's an exceptional scorer and she's an excellent defender. So being without her for a game is tough, but we have players that are ready to step up." The Dream rallied without her, blowing open the game in the third quarter by outscoring the Liberty 32-15.
Late-August buyout acquisition and 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner apparently lit a fire under the Dream with a halftime speech but wouldn't say what was said. Bonner holds the WNBA record for most career playoff games and has won two titles. Her speech sure worked to motivate the team defensively, as Atlanta had an incredible nine steals in the third quarter alone, which led to 16 points and turned a three-point halftime hole into a 14-point lead.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
