ATLANTA — The Atlanta Dream executed a physical, paint-dominant strategy to perfection on Sunday afternoon, defeating the New York Liberty 90–81 in front of a sold-out Gateway Center Arena. The win snapped a five-game home losing streak to the Liberty, moved Atlanta to 11–6 overall, and improved their record to 6–4 when starting Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, and Brittney Griner.
Atlanta is now 24–40 all-time vs. New York and 13–19 at home, but Sunday’s performance left little doubt about which team dictated the terms.
“Yeah, we wanted to establish the inside game.”
From the first quarter, it was evident that the Dream weren’t going to live or die by the three — they were going to win it at the rim. Atlanta poured in 40 of their 47 first-half points in the paint, the second-most in a half in franchise history. They finished with 62 paint points — just six shy of the franchise record — and shot 52.9% from the field.
Head coach Karl Smesko emphasized that this was no accident:
“Yeah, we wanted to establish the inside game—that was the strategy. We had a lot of early success, then they started sending three people at the post, so we had to be ready for that. You either had to catch it and score right away or keep cutting when it got thrown inside so we could penalize them for bringing so many bodies. Bri and BG both made good decisions, and they both had excellent games.”
Brionna Jones scored a season-high-tying 21 points to go with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, controlling the block and responding with poise whenever the Liberty adjusted.
“Repetition over the years—lots of reps down there working on different footwork,” Jones said. “I know I’m not the quickest and I’m not jumping the highest, but I can get my defender where I want and finish the play.”
Brittney Griner added 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists, passing Jonquel Jones to move back into 20th all-time on the WNBA rebounds list (2,406).
“Spectacular,” Griner said before the question about Jones’s season could even be finished. “I’ve been on the other side guarding Bri—she’s an amazing player. Getting to play with her, seeing her basketball IQ in practice and on the court as things develop—she’s always talking in the time-outs, telling us different things to guard, different things she’s seeing, and she’s always right. I get stuck just watching her sometimes and I’m like, ‘Oh she’s got that.’ She’s a huge part of why we’re successful.”
Smesko added:
“Just post moves and different finishes—she’s been fantastic. BG the last couple of games has seemed like BG, so it’s great to see her getting involved and being dominant inside. That’s a really good one-two punch.”
Q1-Q2: Establishing Control
The Dream opened with Jordin Canada converting an and-one and assisting Griner under the rim. Gray followed with a second-chance layup, while Jones anchored the defense with a block and converted back-to-back post scores. Canada, who finished with a season-high 15 points and tied her season-high with 8 assists, ignited a 12–4 run with her second and-one of the quarter.
The Dream dominated the first quarter in the paint with 24 points inside, closing the frame up 29–19.
In the second quarter, Gray started with a layup, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added energy with a fast-break finish. Atlanta ripped off a 19–2 run midway through, and Griner grabbed five rebounds in the period. By halftime, Atlanta had held New York to just 34 points, a season-low first-half total for the Liberty.
Q3: Liberty Responds, Dream Hold Firm
Jones opened the second half with three quick scores, accounting for over 56% of Atlanta’s third-quarter points. Gray scored again at the rim, and Hillmon knocked down Atlanta’s first three-pointer of the game off a Canada assist.
The Liberty, behind Breanna Stewart (21 points, 9 rebounds), Natasha Cloud (20 points, 6 assists), and Sabrina Ionescu (14 points, 3-of-7 from three), mounted several pushes. But each time, Atlanta had a response — often from Jones, who blocked a shot, sprinted the floor, drew a foul, and calmly sank both free throws to keep Atlanta in control. The Dream led 63–53 heading into the final quarter.
Q4: Gray Closes, Canada Commands, and Atlanta Finishes
Canada opened the fourth with a made three — just Atlanta’s second of the game at the time. She followed with a layup through contact and a dime to Gray in transition that showed off her elite speed. Her fifth or sixth trip to the floor underscored how physically engaged she was.
Gray took it from there. Despite struggling early from deep, she scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, including two huge three-pointers that pushed Atlanta’s lead to its largest of the night — 18 points.
Nia Coffey came in off the bench and added key rebounds and a late score to steady things when the Liberty tried one final run.
“Our other bigs—Nia came in and got a lot of rebounds in a short time,” Smesko said. “We asked Naz to guard Stewie and also play some three; she’d never run those plays from that spot, but she’s been paying attention in practice and knew everybody’s position. Everybody contributed, everybody played well. It definitely feels good to finish one off.”
Final Thoughts
Despite going just 4-of-19 from three, Atlanta controlled the game through execution, paint scoring, and ball movement. The team finished with a season-high 27 assists, and five players scored in double figures: Jones (21), Gray (20), Canada (15), Griner (14), and Hillmon (10).
The Dream also scored 90+ points in back-to-back games and are building momentum as they return home again on July 3 to face the Seattle Storm. If Sunday is the blueprint — pound the paint, move the ball, and trust the bigs — Atlanta looks ready to stay in the upper tier of the league standings.
- Photos provided by Atlanta Dream Media Team.*
