Angel Reese helped lead the Atlanta Dream to their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013, scoring 22 points in Friday night’s decisive victory over the New York Liberty. The Dream completed a three-game sweep in the semifinals, remaining undefeated in this year’s postseason, and will face the Golden State Warriors beginning Saturday, October 17.

Reese, who was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, joined Atlanta in an offseason trade and quickly established herself as a critical contributor. The Dream had not advanced past the semifinals since 2018 before this campaign. Now, they aim to secure the franchise’s inaugural championship with four wins in the final series.

Friday’s game was tightly contested in the closing moments. Atlanta held an 83-81 lead with 17.7 seconds remaining but committed a turnover, granting New York a final opportunity. Liberty star Breanna Stewart attempted a contested layup with nine seconds left that missed, allowing Atlanta’s DeWanna Bonner to sink two free throws with 6.2 seconds on the clock to secure the win.

The Dream managed the victory without the contributions of Allisha Gray, their leading scorer who has been sidelined since Game 1 due to a finger injury. Although Gray warmed up before Friday’s game, she was ultimately ruled out roughly an hour before tipoff. She supported her teammates from the bench, wearing a Howard jersey.

Atlanta started strong, with Howard putting up 11 points in the first quarter and Reese adding 10 points, including two three-pointers. The second quarter saw heightened tensions on the floor. An offensive foul call on Sabrina Ionescu for setting a screen on Isobel Borlase led to a verbal exchange between Ionescu and Reese that was quickly broken up by officials. Later in the quarter, a blocked shot by Jones on Reese sparked a chest bump and trash talk, resulting in technical fouls assessed to both players.

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, emphasizing their resilience and defensive effort. With their momentum, the Dream will enter the Finals seeking to capitalize on their first championship opportunity in over a decade. Their opponent, Golden State, earned their spot by sweeping last season’s champion, Las Vegas, setting the stage for a highly anticipated matchup.