Dream star Allisha Gray fires 'locked in' warning during must-win game vs. Liberty
09/24/2024 07:34 PM
The Atlanta Dream are in a must-win situation on Tuesday night against the New York Liberty. The top-seeded Liberty handled their business in Game 1 in a dominant 83-69 win, and the Dream were determined to throw the first punch on Tuesday with their backs against the wall.
Allisha Gray was leading the charge for the Dream. The two-time All-Star went scorched Earth in the first quarter in Brooklyn, scoring 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting and 4-for-4 from three-point range. Before the second quarter started, Gray gave an assertive message to ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
“I’m locked in,” Gray said after the first quarter. “I know what’s at stake so I just gotta be the player I can be and that’s a three-point shooter. I just gotta do what I do.”
Gray and the Dream jumped out to a 28-19 lead on New York at the end of the first quarter, and withstood a Liberty run to stay ahead 48-43 at the half. They need to keep up the strong effort if they want to force a deciding Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday night.
Gray has been putting the Dream on her back all season while they have dealt with a plethora of injuries, most notably to star forward Rhyne Howard. She averaged 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while playing all 40 games this season.
Gray has hit a new level since joining the Dream before the 2023 season. After failing to make an All-Star team in her first six seasons in the league with the Dallas Wings, she has been named one of the league’s best players in both of her seasons in Atlanta.
The Dream were ousted by the Wings in the first round of the playoffs last season, and are looking to take it a step further in 2024 despite a somewhat underwhelming regular season that saw them finish 15-25. They beat the Liberty on the last day of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, and now have a chance to do it again in the first round.
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