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Dream Defeat Lynx, Prepare for Crucial Liberty Showdown
22 Aug
Summary
- Atlanta Dream has won 8 of last 10 games, leading the East
- New York Liberty won 2 of the first 3 meetings with the Dream
- Dream coach Karl Smesko is a Coach of the Year candidate
- Liberty have been inconsistent, dropping 4 of last 6 games
The Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty, the class of the Eastern Conference, will face off for the final time in the regular season on Saturday afternoon in College Park, Georgia. As of August 22nd, 2025, the Dream (23-13) have won 8 of their last 10 games and lead the Liberty (22-14) by a game atop the East standings.
The Dream are coming off an impressive 75-73 home win over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, continuing their impressive turnaround under first-year coach Karl Smesko, who is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year. Smesko has transformed a team with six consecutive losing seasons into a contender, emphasizing the need to compete at a championship level on every possession.
The Liberty, on the other hand, have been more inconsistent of late, dropping 4 of their last 6 games, including a 91-85 setback at home against the Chicago Sky on Thursday. Despite their recent struggles, New York coach Sandy Brondello remains confident, stating that "anyone can win this championship" and that the Liberty have an opportunity to go into Atlanta and beat the Dream, a crucial game for their playoff positioning.
The Liberty will be led by Sabrina Ionescu, who is averaging 19.0 points per game, while the Dream will rely on Allisha Gray, who scored 27 points in the win over the Lynx, and Rhyne Howard, who is averaging 16.5 points per game. The Liberty are also hoping to get star Breanna Stewart back from a right knee bone bruise by next week.
