Two top contenders who win the WNBA championship will face to face when Atlanta Dream hosts a New York Freedom event on Saturday. The game will stand out on CBS at 2 p.m. ET.
The dream exceeded expectations this season, with the most recent defeat of the Bobcats on Thursday 75-73, ranking first. Atlanta is currently ranked second with a record of 23-13.
WNBA Power Ranking: A'ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd Fuel ACE's late cycle
Jack Maloney
Meanwhile, the freedom this season is 22-14, ranking fourth in the standings. Despite Jonquel Jones' 25 points, they lost to the Chicago Sky 91-85 on Thursday.
New York will be publicizing on Saturday as Breanna Stewart (Knee), Nyara Sabally (Knee) and Isabelle Harrison (Concussion) have not returned yet. Sabrina Ionescu's name was added to the injury list after hurting Chicago. Ionescu went out on Saturday, but coach Sandy Brondello said she “escaped anything important” and should be back soon.
Where to watch New York Freedom and Atlanta Dream
date: Saturday, August 23 | time:2 pm ET
Place: Gateway Center Arena – University of Georgia Park
television: CBS | stream: Paramount+
Odds (via betmgm): Dream-6.5, o/u 159.5
Series of faults
Freedom was the 2-1 win over Dreams 2-1 this season, with two victories taking place in New York.
Their most recent encounter was on July 13, when Freedom won the game 79-72 after overcoming a 19-point first-half deficit. Leonie Fiebich led the way with 21 points, while Stewart scored 18 points and 10 rebounds in doubles. Jonquel Jones did not compete in the competition due to an ankle injury. Jones will open this Saturday, but Stewart is out now.
Dreams Under Allisha Gray's 16-point lead, five players scored in double digits. Atlanta's second leading scorer Rhyne Howard was out with a knee injury but was back in the roster.
Freedom struggles without Stewart
Stewart had a bruise on his right kneecap in late July and would definitely feel her absence. New York was 17-7, without her 5-7. Stewart is one of the most stable scorers with freedom, with over 18 points per game and is also a valuable presence in defense.
Due to her length and her ability to be destructive anywhere on the court, she has been choosing the all-around first team for three consecutive years. Before she was injured, the degree of freedom had a defensive rating of 97.2, down to 100.6.
But regardless of the injury, Coach Sandy Blundlow said her team’s biggest setback was inconsistent. In the game against Chicago, he led the free-kick three and entered fourth place, but did not score a single shot in the final six minutes of the game.
“Anyone can beat anyone in this league. Anyone can win this championship; it's open,” Brondlow said. “But our inconsistency can be incredible at times because we're doing so well. We're riding such a big high and low, but we have the chance to get into Atlanta and beat them now, which is a big game for us.”
Atlanta is a serious contender
Dreams have lost six straight times and entered 2025 and now they are a win away from setting a new franchise record for a single-season victory. The team has had a lot of momentum in 8 of the last 10 games and has won. Gray scored 27 points against Lynx on Thursday, marking her 15th point game of the season. Atlanta has also become the only team to beat Minnesota many times in 2025.
Leading the team, assists and steals, Gray has been one of the most impressive players in the league.
“She was in the conversation with the MVP because she was doing everything, defense and rebounding,” said dream coach Karl Smesko. “I'm really happy. I absolutely think she should be in the conversation. It's definitely worth being a first-team global player because she's been so good this year.”