Dream beat Liberty 92-82 in semifinal Game 1 behind Canada's 25 points
Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series by turning New York turnovers into points in the third quarter.
What we know
- Atlanta beat New York 92-82 on Sunday at State Farm Arena and leads the best-of-five semifinal series 1-0. [1] [2]
- Jordin Canada led Atlanta with 25 points, DeWanna Bonner had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Rhyne Howard had eight assists. [1] [2]
- Sabrina Ionescu scored 27 points for New York, and Jonquel Jones had 11 rebounds. [1] [2]
- Atlanta outscored New York 32-15 in the third quarter after trailing 40-37 at halftime. [1] [2]
- Not yet confirmed: The Associated Press reported that Atlanta's Allisha Gray left the game with a left hand injury in the second quarter. The official injury report lists Gray as out with a hand injury, and neither source gives a timeline for a return. Gray's availability for Game 2 is not confirmed.
The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 92-82 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Atlanta is 30-14 and New York is 26-18, according to the official game data. [1]
Jordin Canada led Atlanta with 25 points, 20 of them in the second half, and had five steals, according to The Associated Press. DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and nine rebounds, and Rhyne Howard had eight assists. [1][2]
Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 27 points, and Breanna Stewart added 19, according to the AP. Jonquel Jones had 11 rebounds and four assists. [1][2]
The game was close for the first half, according to the AP. The teams combined for 14 lead changes, and neither led by more than six points. New York went to the locker room ahead 40-37. [2]
The AP described Gray's injury as the key moment of the first half. Atlanta then outscored New York 32-15 in the third quarter, opening the half on a 13-3 run that gave the Dream a lead they kept the rest of the game. The AP said Canada and Angel Reese each had three steals in the quarter. [1][2]
Atlanta scored 32 points off 21 New York turnovers, including 16 in the third quarter, according to the AP, which said the total tied a WNBA playoff record. New York shot 4 of 14 from the floor in the third, the AP reported. The Liberty cut a 16-point deficit to five late, but a 3-pointer by Canada just before the shot clock buzzer, followed by another transition layup off a stop, stemmed the tide, the AP reported. [2]
"Everybody stepped up, and that's what we need," Canada said. Dream head coach Karl Smesko said: "I thought we had a great third quarter." Stewart said live-ball turnovers made the difference for New York. [2]
The AP reported that it was Atlanta's first semifinal-round win since 2018 and that the Dream are the only undefeated team left in the postseason. It also said Atlanta has won eight straight games, including the regular season. Game 2 is Wednesday in Atlanta. [2]