Atlanta Dream reach WNBA Finals after win over New York Liberty — The Guardian

In Brooklyn, United States, the Atlanta Dream defeated the New York Liberty 85-83 in the third game of the WNBA semifinal series and reached the league finals for the first time since 2013. The Atlanta team won the best-of-five series 3-0.

Angel Reese led the Dream with 22 points. Rhyne Howard added 21 points, while Jordin Canada finished with 19 points and 11 assists. As The Guardian reports, Atlanta played without Allisha Gray, the team's second-leading scorer behind Howard, who missed her second consecutive game with a left arm injury.

Early advantage and defense at the end

In the first quarter, the Dream made five of eight three-point attempts and took a 25-18 lead. Reese had already scored 18 points by halftime, after which the visitors held a 44-39 advantage.

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In the third quarter, the Liberty fought back: Breanna Stewart scored 10 points and Jonquel Jones added nine. The New York team went on a 17-4 run in 3 minutes and 42 seconds and took a one-point lead after trailing by 12 points. However, in the final quarter, Atlanta allowed their opponents to score only 15 points. The Liberty missed 10 of 15 shots over the final 10 minutes, including six of seven attempts from long range.

Final series against Golden State

Stewart and Jones scored 26 points each for New York, with Jones also recording 14 rebounds and three blocks. Sabrina Ionescu scored 12 points, making four of 12 field-goal attempts. The Liberty's season ended with a sixth consecutive loss to Atlanta, including regular-season games.

This will be the Dream's fourth WNBA Finals appearance in club history. The team previously lost the deciding series in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and has yet to win a championship title. In the finals, Atlanta will face the Golden State Valkyries, who also came through the semifinals unbeaten. The best-of-seven series begins on October 17 in San Francisco.