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Atlanta Dream Reach WNBA Finals with Sweep of Liberty

5:06 AM ETConfirmed

Sports Desk

In Short: Kayla Thornton's 18 points led the Valkyries to a sweep of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, making them the quickest expansion team to reach the Finals.

The Atlanta Dream secured their place in the WNBA Finals with a 85-83 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 3, completing a three-game sweep.

Early in the second half, the Dream held a 12-point lead, but the Liberty responded and took the lead into the fourth quarter.

Sabrina Ionescu's 3-pointer 30 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Liberty a five-point lead, but the Dream managed to hold on for the win.

Angel Reese, who scored a team-high 22 points, celebrated reaching the Finals, nearly a year after she tweeted 'manifesting the finals.'

Reese's tweet from last year's Game 4 of the Finals foreshadowed her team's success this season.

The Dream's victory ends a 13-year drought in the Finals and marks their first appearance since 2013.

Breanna Stewart missed a crucial layup with nine seconds left, and DeWanna Bonner sealed the win with two free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining.

The Dream will face the Golden State Valkyries in the Finals, which begin on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. in State Farm Arena.

The Valkyries' victory sets up a Finals matchup where the Dream will have to stay poised and aggressive to secure their first championship.

The Dream's journey to the Finals included a 92-82 win in Game 1 and a 101-98 overtime victory in Game 2.

The Dream's sweep of the Liberty marks the first time in playoff history that a team leading a series 2-0 has gone on to win the Finals.

The Dream's success in the playoffs this season has seen them go 5-0, sweeping both the Washington Mystics and the Liberty.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• They will face Golden State when the WNBA Finals begin on Saturday, Oct. 17.

What's still developing

• When Ionescu hit a 3-pointer 30 seconds into the final frame to push the Liberty's lead to five, it seemed they might pull away.
• "It just shows the power of the tongue. Being able to speak things into your life. When you speak positive things in your life, it happens. You manifest big things and big dreams, and have those goals, and you can do anything you put your mind to."
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• “What I’m thinking about right now is a lost opportunity,” Stewart said.
• Veronica Burton (22) celebrates with Gabby Willaims (1) after Williams hit a 2-point basket in the final seconds of overtime as the Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in Game 3 of the 2026 WNBA playoffs semifinals at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Friday, Oct.
• Trailing 86-80 with under two minutes left in regulation, New York's Sabrina Ionescu hit a deep 3-pointer to pull the Liberty closer.
• The Atlanta Dream star has been named Defensive Player of the Year for the 2026 season, the league announced on Thursday.
• The Dream jumped in front early in an extremely physical contest that nearly got out of hand on multiple occasions as the officials let just about everything go.
• Notably, Angel Reese got in Sabrina Ionescu's face after the Liberty guard delivered a hard foul to Isobel Borlase as payback for what she thought should have been a foul on Borlase.

Sources

• CBS Sportslink
• Espnlacrosselink
• FOX 5 Atlantalink
• New York Postlink
• The Killeen Daily Heraldlink
• WNBAlink
• theScorelink
• Sfchroniclelink
• Atlantanewsfirstlink
• Swishappeallink
• Ajclink
• Fox5Atlantalink
• Valkyrieslink
• Sportsnetlink
• WarpBeat — background on Atlanta Dream Secure First Finals Berth Since 2013 with Sweep of Liberty link
• WarpBeat — background on Atlanta Dream Win Game 1 Against New York Liberty link
• AtlantaDream — video link