The Atlanta Dream are one victory away from their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013 after holding off the defending champion New York Liberty 101-98 in overtime on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.
Naz Hillmon’s go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime proved decisive for Atlanta. Angel Reese, the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, scored 23 points, including six of Atlanta’s 13 points in the extra period, then sealed the win with two free throws after a turnover by Sabrina Ionescu with less than five seconds remaining. Jordin Canada added 23 points and eight assists for the Dream, who also won Game 1, 92-82.
Breanna Stewart scored a game-high 35 points for New York but missed a final desperation attempt as time expired.
New York nearly erased a late deficit in regulation. With Atlanta ahead 86-80 and under two minutes remaining, Ionescu hit a deep 3-pointer to pull the Liberty within three. A shot-clock violation by Atlanta with 31 seconds left gave New York another chance, and Stewart converted a layup through traffic to make it 86-85 before the game went to overtime.
Atlanta won despite being without leading scorer Allisha Gray, a four-time All-Star who was ruled out of Game 2 with a hand injury. Gray hurt her left hand in the first quarter of Game 1, briefly returned, then was sidelined again after diving for a loose ball and did not play Wednesday — the first game she had missed all season. She is listed as day-to-day for Game 3.
The series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Barclays Center.
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