The Atlanta Dream defeated the New York Liberty 92-82 to take a 1-0 series lead in the WNBA semifinals on October 4, and the league's official full-game highlights carry the whole story: Jordin Canada's 25 points with five steals, DeWanna Bonner's 23, and a Dream defence that made the defending champions work for every quarter.
Atlanta had not been to the semifinals since 2018, and the highlights show why this team is different: the scoring came from four players in double figures, the defence produced steals that turned into transition points, and the Dream's pace never let New York settle into the half-court game their championship core prefers. Angel Reese's 17 points with seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks is the stat line that explains Atlanta's identity, effort statistics in every column. The Liberty's problem in this game became the series' problem: a team built on execution being hurried by a younger, hungrier opponent. Atlanta completed the job in an overtime classic in Game 2, covered in our Sports section, which makes this first game the foundation film. Watch how many Liberty possessions end late in the shot clock.
Official full-game highlights are the fastest honest route into a series: twenty minutes of the actual broadcast, from the league's channel, with the score and stakes visible in every possession. For readers who missed the weekend, this is the catch-up that respects their time.
Video credit: WNBA (official YouTube channel). The footage is embedded from YouTube and has not been downloaded or re-uploaded. Game 2's overtime finish and the series' next steps are in Sports.
