The Atlanta Dream advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 with an 85-83 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 3 of their semifinal series. After a three-game sweep of the Liberty, the Dream will face either the Golden State Valkyries or the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals, which begin on October 17th.
The Dream jumped out to an early lead in an extremely physical contest that almost got out of hand on several occasions as the officials let almost everything go. For the record, Angel Reese slapped Sabrina Ionescu in the face with a hard foul on Isobel Borlase in retaliation for what she thought should have been a foul on Liberty Guard Borlase. And later, both Reese and Jonquel Jones were hit with technicals after a dunk under the basket.
The Dream extended their lead to 12 early in the second half, but the Liberty responded immediately and took over in the fourth. When Ionescu hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to cut the Liberty lead to five, it looked like they might pull away. Instead, it became a back-and-forth affair.
Jones responded to cut the deficit to two after Jordin Canada hit a circus shot to give the Dream a four-point lead with just over a minute to play. Liberty then got several stops and had multiple chances to tie the game. One ended with an Ionescu turnover — which also had a crucial turnover late in Game 2 — and the other ended with a Breanna Stewart miss.
DeWanna Bonner, who rebounded this postseason with 13 points and 13 rebounds, then iced the game at the free throw line. Canada, who has been great throughout the series, finished with 19 points, 11 assists and no turnovers, while Reese finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Jones was outstanding for Liberty in the loss with 26 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, while Stewart added 26 points.
Khayal has reached the Finals three times, but won each time. They will look to reverse that trend this time around and potentially win the first title in franchise history.