Allisha Gray’s Absence Impacts Dream’s WNBA Semifinal Game 2 Against Liberty

There's some interesting scheduling by the WNBA now that we are into the semifinal playoff round, as the league isn't staggering the two series so we have one game per night but instead is pairing them. The first game of the semifinal doubleheader tonight is No. 8 seed New York at No. 4 Atlanta in Game 2, and the big story line is Dream All-Star and leading scorer Allisha Gray being out with an injury. Trade on sports at Kalshi with the best promo code CBSSPORTS55 and get a $55 bonus after $25 in trades :

It's a 7:30 p.m. ET tip on ESPN. At -1.5 at DraftKings , the Dream are taking 54% of handle and 57% of wagers. The total of 170.5 is seeing a solid Under lean. The numbers for Game 1 were similar, with Atlanta closing at -3.5 and a total of 172.5 – so you can somewhat see what the sportsbooks value Gray at -- and the Dream rallied for a 92-82 victory despite losing Gray in the first half to a left (shooting) hand injury. Spend $5+ and get $150 in bonus bets instantly at DraftKings here :

She was initially injured at the end of the first quarter but returned in the second with her pinkie and ring finger taped. But Gray apparently didn't care for that, as she ditched those shortly after checking in, only to leave for good later in the quarter. She watched the second half from the bench with a splint on her finger.

The Dream are simply calling her day-to-day and didn't reveal what X-rays showed. Gray, who averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game during the season and put up 22.0 PPG in the first round of the playoffs, had seven points on 1-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes of Game 1 vs. New York.

"Nobody's going to try to be Lish because, I mean, there's only one Lish," coach Karl Smesko told the media Tuesday. "Lish is one of the best players in the league. She's an exceptional scorer and she's an excellent defender. So being without her for a game is tough, but we have players that are ready to step up."

The Dream rallied without her, blowing open the game in the third quarter by outscoring the Liberty 32-15. Late-August buyout acquisition and 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner apparently lit a fire under the Dream with a halftime speech but wouldn't say what was said. Bonner holds the WNBA record for most career playoff games and has won two titles.

Her speech sure worked to motivate the team defensively, as Atlanta had an incredible nine steals in the third quarter alone, which led to 16 points and turned a three-point halftime hole into a 14-point lead. Atlanta led the WNBA in forced turnovers per game during the season.

"DB got into us at halftime, I'll just say that," guard Jordin Canada said. "We knew we didn't play our best in the first half. We gave up a lot of defensive assignments: not aggressive enough on offense and defense. … We talked about a second-half surge, that the first three minutes of the second half are going to be really important, and so we came out ready to go."

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Liberty vs. Dream same-game parlay

- New York alt +6.5 - Alt Under 177.5

FanDuel SGP price: +106 (subject to change)

It was the Dream's eighth straight win (8-0 ATS) and continued a theme of third-quarter domination. In their previous seven games, they averaged 26.3 points and 4.6 forced turnovers in the third. Canada dealt with foul trouble but led the team with 25 points and five steals, which tied a franchise postseason record, and four assists.

Bonner had 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench. WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese added 17 points, seven rebounds (after setting the league's single-season record), and four steals. Overall, the Dream forced 21 turnovers that led to 32 points. They also outscored the Liberty 18-0 in transition.

It sounds as if Bonner will move into the starting lineup. Outside of her (20.8 minutes per game), no one else is averaging more than 15 minutes off the bench, as it's not a deep squad. That depth took a hit due to Brionna Jones ' season-ending left-leg injury.

The Dream are the only team yet to lose this postseason and have won all three games by double digits. They are now the +180 WNBA title favorites and -295 on this best-of-5 series line, with the Liberty at +235. That it's a three-game sweep is the +240 leader.

Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu scored a game-high 27 points for New York in the opener but had just one assist and five turnovers. It was her third postseason 25-point game with the Liberty, tying Cappie Pondexter for second-most in franchise history.

Breanna Stewart added 19 points while playing all 40 minutes. She passed Maya Moore (1,077) for the sixth-most points in WNBA postseason history. While Atlanta's 32 points off turnovers tied a WNBA playoff record, the Liberty scored 14 points off 13 forced turnovers. They also have to get more from a bench that totaled only six points in Game 1.

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New York lost its final two games of the regular season to the Dream but did win its only regular-season visit to Atlanta, 104-90 on June 11. The Liberty played Game 1 evenly, other than the third quarter. Surely, they can hang within six in hopefully a defensive battle sans Gray. NY matched a franchise postseason record with nine blocks in the opener. More of that, please. Stealing tonight's game is the visitors' best shot at stealing the series.  Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/liberty-vs-dream-wnba-semifinal-playoff-picks-allisha-gray-injury-absence-looms-large-in-wednesdays-game-2/)._