Atlanta beat New York 101-98 in overtime on Wednesday at State Farm Arena to take a 2-0 lead in the semifinal.
The sharpest detail was the finish, as Naz Hillmon scored the go ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime and Angel Reese sealed it at the line.
Reese And Canada Carry The Dream Load
Atlanta needed two stars on the same night and got them. Angel Reese and Jordin Canada scored 23 points each, a matching pair of performances that gave the Dream both interior force and backcourt production. Canada added eight assists, running the offense while also sharing the scoring lead, and Reese scored six points in overtime, when every possession carried elimination round weight even with Atlanta leading the series.
Those numbers matter because of who they came against and when they came. New York is the opponent, a semifinal is the stage, and Game 2 is the swing game that turns a good start into a commanding position. Reese overtime scoring is the clearest sign of that jump in stakes. Plenty of players produce in the first quarter of a playoff game. Producing six points in the extra period, with the game still undecided, is a different kind of contribution, and Reese delivered it before adding the final free throws.
The closing sequence deserves to be stated plainly. Hillmon’s go ahead layup came with 20.8 seconds left in overtime, putting Atlanta in front for the final time. Reese then sealed the win with two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, pushing the margin to three and forcing New York into a desperation ending it could not convert. Atlanta won 101-98, a score that reflects both the quality of the game and the thinness of the margin at every stage.
Stewart Scores 35, Fauthoux Forces Overtime
New York did not lose for lack of a star performance. Breanna Stewart scored 35 points for the Liberty, with 25 of them in the first half, a first half outburst that should normally travel with a road win. Stewart kept New York in control for long stretches and gave the Liberty the best individual performance on the floor by raw scoring, yet Atlanta absorbed it, stayed within reach, and won the game in the minutes that decided it.
The regulation finish was just as dramatic as the overtime finish. Atlanta led 86-80 with 1:55 left, a lead that looked close to safe, before New York rallied and Marine Fauthoux hit a three pointer with 10.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 88-88 and force overtime. That shot could have broken Atlanta. Instead, the Dream regrouped, which is the word their coach chose afterward:
“Glad that we were able to regroup in overtime and just find a way. Remarkable performance by a lot of our players.” Karl Smesko, Dream head coach, published by AP via Raw Chili
Regroup is the right word for a team that lost a six point lead in the final two minutes of regulation and still won the extra period. Smesko also spread the credit, noting the number of players involved, and the box score backs him up: Reese and Canada at 23 each, Hillmon with the winning layup, and a rotation that survived Stewart’s 35 point night without folding.
For Canadian basketball readers following the wider game in this launch, the contrast with the NBA preseason scene in Toronto’s preseason opener in Quebec City is sharp: that was an exhibition, this was a semifinal with history attached. And for another late rescue by a Canadian star this week, see Canada at home in Montreal.
By The Numbers
- Final score: Atlanta Dream 101, New York Liberty 98, overtime
- Series: Atlanta leads the best of five semifinal 2-0
- Angel Reese: 23 points, including 6 in overtime
- Jordin Canada: 23 points and 8 assists
- Breanna Stewart: 35 points for New York, 25 in the first half
- Regulation ended 88-88 after a Fauthoux three with 10.3 seconds left
One Win From A First Finals Since 2013
The historical weight of a 2-0 lead in this format is severe. No team has ever overturned a 2-0 deficit in a best of five WNBA playoff series, which means New York is not simply trailing, it is trailing against the entire record book. Atlanta, meanwhile, stands one win from its first Finals appearance since 2013, a return that would cap a semifinal run built on balance, resilience, and late game execution.
None of that guarantees Game 3 will be simple. Stewart has already shown she can score 35 in this series, and New York forced overtime on the road after trailing late. But series are ultimately about who wins the decisive minutes twice in a row, and Atlanta has now done it in regulation escapes and in overtime finishes. The Dream outlasted the Liberty on Wednesday in every sense of the word, and the 2-0 lead they carry forward was earned possession by possession.
