Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 95-84, close in on a top-4 WNBA seed

In a thrilling game on Monday night, the Atlanta Dream secured a 95-84 victory over the New York Liberty, inching closer to a top-4 seed in the WNBA playoffs. Jordin Canada led the Dream with 19 points, while Angel Reese contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner and Rhyne Howard added 17 and 16 points respectively for the Dream.

The Dream took an early lead at the half, extending their advantage to 73-62 after three quarters, thanks to the efforts of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Despite a scoreless first half, Gray scored 12 points in the second period, including seven points during a 9-2 run to start it. Rhyne Howard then took over with 10 points in the third quarter.

New York, who played in Toronto on Sunday, came close to catching up multiple times, but ultimately fell short. Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Dream secured a three-point lead at the half, with DeWanna Bonner grabbing an offensive rebound with 3.1 seconds left and converting the basket. Her three-point play extended the Dream's lead to 41-38. The Liberty struggled from beyond the three-point line, going 1 for 13 in the first half.

In a pre-game honor, the Liberty recognized all seven of their women's FIBA World Cup participants. The team had at least one player on all four of the semifinal teams, with Breanna Stewart leading the U.S. to the gold medal and earning MVP honors at the tournament. Marine Johannes and Astier represented France, which took home the silver medal, while Raquel Carrera led Spain, which won the bronze.