Allisha Gray Hand Injury Becomes Atlanta’s Biggest WNBA Semifinal Concern

The Atlanta Dream won Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal against the New York Liberty, but the 92-82 victory came with a potentially significant cost. All-Star guard Allisha Gray injured her left hand during the first quarter Sunday after hurting her pinky and ring fingers while defending a Sabrina Ionescu drive. Gray returned with the fingers taped together, but she struggled to grip the ball, left again before halftime and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Gray’s status now becomes one of the most important questions of the semifinal round. She averaged a team-leading 19.0 points per game during the regular season and has been central to Atlanta’s rise into a championship contender. Head coach Karl Smesko said after the game that Gray has been a major reason for the Dream’s success and expressed hope that she will be OK. No firm return timetable had been announced Monday.

Atlanta proved it can survive a night without Gray, with Jordin Canada taking over in the second half of Game 1. But surviving one game and winning a playoff series are different challenges. If Gray is limited or unavailable, New York can adjust its defensive attention toward Canada and Atlanta’s other creators. That makes Gray’s health—not the Dream’s 1-0 lead—the storyline that could ultimately determine the series.