WNBA Playoffs Game 2 Preview: Dream and Valkyries Lead Semi-Finals as Allisha Gray Ruled Out

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Jordin Canada, who scored 25 as the Dream won before WNBA playoffs Game 2 — Jordin Canada playing for the Seattle Storm at Target Center, May 2019 (archive). Photo: Lorie Shaull / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries go into WNBA playoffs Game 2 on Wednesday 7 October holding 1–0 leads in their best-of-five semi-final series. Atlanta beat the New York Liberty 92–82 on Sunday, while Golden State thrashed the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 71–60. However, the Dream will be without leading scorer Allisha Gray, who has been ruled out with a left hand injury, according to the Associated Press.

Both Game 2s are played at the higher seeds’ home arenas. The winners of the two series will meet in the WNBA Finals, which begin on 17 October.

WNBA Playoffs Game 2 Schedule and How to Watch

Liberty at Dream: Wednesday 7 October, 7:30pm ET on ESPN (12:30am BST and WAT, Thursday)
Aces at Valkyries: Wednesday 7 October, 9:30pm ET on NBC and Peacock (2:30am BST and WAT, Thursday)
Game 3s: Friday 9 October in New York and Las Vegas
Games 4 and 5 (if needed): Sunday 11 and Wednesday 14 October

The schedule comes from NBC Sports’ semi-final guide. Fans outside the United States should check local listings for coverage.

Dream Beat Liberty Despite Allisha Gray Injury

Atlanta took control of the series with a dominant third quarter. The Dream opened the second half on a 13–3 run and outscored New York 32–15 in the period, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

Jordin Canada led the way with 25 points, 20 of them after half-time, plus five steals. DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Meanwhile, Atlanta forced 21 turnovers and scored 32 points from them.

For New York, Sabrina Ionescu scored 27 points and Breanna Stewart added 19. Even so, the Liberty could not stop the Dream’s pressure after the break.

Allisha Gray Ruled Out of Game 2

Gray hurt her left hand in the first quarter after contact on a screen. She returned briefly, but aggravated the injury while diving for a loose ball and did not finish the game, the AP reported.

Head coach Karl Smesko confirmed on Tuesday that the four-time All-Star would miss Game 2. “She’s had an X-ray on her finger,” he said, adding that she is day-to-day. It will be the first game Gray has missed all season, and Bonner is expected to start in her place.

Valkyries Dominate the Glass Against the Aces

Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center, where they host the Aces in WNBA playoffs Game 2

In San Francisco, Golden State outrebounded Las Vegas 52–25 in front of a sell-out crowd at Chase Center, the Valkyries reported. That rebound total was a franchise record and the third-highest in WNBA playoff history.

Gabby Williams scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, her first playoff double-double. Kiah Stokes did not score but grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. “MVP of the game tonight,” head coach Natalie Nakase said of Stokes.

Las Vegas shot just 33.9% from the field, their worst of the season. The Aces were also short-handed, playing without NaLyssa Smith, Stephanie Talbot and Dana Evans, before Jewell Loyd left with a leg injury in the second half, Rolling Out reported.

How the Semi-Finalists Got Here

The Liberty arrived after making history in the first round. They swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 2–0, winning Game 2 87–71, and became the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1 seed in WNBA history, CBS Sports reported. We covered the start of that run in our report on Liberty Lynx Game 1.

Atlanta swept the Washington Mystics to win their first multi-game playoff series since 2013. In contrast, the Aces needed three games to beat the Indiana Fever, according to CBS Sports.

Golden State also went the distance. They came from 16 points down in Game 3 to beat the Dallas Wings and win the first playoff series in franchise history. Dallas’s Arike Ogunbowale set a WNBA playoff scoring record with 45 points in Game 2, while Paige Bueckers continued a record-breaking season.

What History Says About WNBA Playoffs Game 2

Las Vegas have been here before. The Aces have lost Game 1 of a best-of-five semi-final five times this decade but still won three of those series, the Valkyries noted in their Game 2 preview.

For the full bracket and format, see our WNBA playoffs 2026 guide.