Gray ignites, Paopao delivers, and Angel Reese seals it — Atlanta sends a message in its 2026 season opener
Nobody told the Atlanta Dream they were supposed to lose this one. Trailing by 19 points on the road against a Minnesota Lynx team buzzing with energy and new faces, every reasonable expectation pointed toward a quiet Atlanta defeat and a story about a promising Lynx opener. Instead, what unfolded at Target Center on Saturday night was one of the more breathtaking comeback wins the WNBA has seen in recent seasons — a 91-90 thriller that announced Atlanta’s 2026 intentions in the loudest possible way.
The Dream battled back from a 17-point halftime deficit, with Te-Hina Paopao nailing a 16-foot jump shot with 11.3 seconds remaining to give Atlanta its first lead of the contest. The Lynx had the ball back with a chance to respond, and the game hung in the balance for what felt like an eternity in those final seconds. It didn’t end there. In the final moments, Angel Reese preserved the victory by blocking a layup attempt by Emese Hof — her third block of the game — as time expired. Dream win, 91-90. Pandemonium.
How Minnesota Let This One Slip Away
To understand the magnitude of what Atlanta did, you have to understand just how dominant the Lynx looked for the game’s first half. Minnesota built a 19-point advantage that, by any conventional reading of the game, should have been enough to close out a season opener at home. But the second half told an entirely different story.
The Lynx started the second half “flat-footed,” according to head coach Cheryl Reeve, and the Dream, running downhill, quickly closed the gap — cutting the Lynx’s halftime lead to one midway through the third quarter. Even when Minnesota managed to push back and rebuild a cushion, the Dream shot 48.6 percent from the field during the final 20 minutes while also outrebounding the Lynx 22-8 in the second half. That’s not a comeback fueled by luck. That’s a team that fundamentally outplayed its opponent over the final two quarters.
Atlanta had overcome 14 first-half turnovers resulting in 20 Lynx points, but cleaned things up significantly in the second half, forcing 11 turnovers while committing just seven. The turnaround in turnover differential alone helps explain how a 19-point hole became a one-point victory. When Atlanta took care of the ball and pushed the pace, Minnesota had no answer.
Head coach Karl Smesko captured it simply: “I think we needed halftime to regroup, and we looked like a different team in the second half.”
Allisha Gray: The Third Quarter Changed Everything
Of all the individual performances in this game, Allisha Gray’s demands the most attention. Not because her final line of 24 points and eight rebounds was the flashiest — it was — but because of when and how she delivered it.
Gray scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half, and 14 of those came in the third quarter alone — a stretch of basketball that essentially shifted the entire momentum of the game and gave the Dream the belief that they could actually pull this off. When a team is staring down a double-digit deficit on the road, it needs someone to catch fire and drag the group back into contention. On Saturday night, that person was Gray. Her third quarter wasn’t just good basketball — it was the turning point that made everything else possible.
Paopao’s Moment, and a Rook Making Her Mark
If Gray provided the momentum, Te-Hina Paopao provided the dagger. Her go-ahead basket with 11.3 seconds left was the kind of shot that defines careers — a composed, mid-range pull-up in crunch time, on the road, with everything on the line. Paopao finished with six points, five rebounds, four assists and a block in 21 minutes, but it was that one basket that will be remembered from this game.
What makes it more meaningful is the broader picture of her early 2026 campaign. Paopao came in having already posted a 14-point, 6-rebound, 8-assist game earlier in the season, establishing herself as one of Atlanta’s most reliable playmakers. Saturday only reinforced that status.
Then there was the debut of rookie center Madina Okot, who announced herself to the WNBA with eight points and four rebounds in just 10 minutes — a physically imposing first impression that adds a compelling dimension to an Atlanta frontcourt already bolstered by a major acquisition.
Angel Reese in Atlanta — and Already Making History
Speaking of that acquisition: Angel Reese’s arrival in Atlanta has been one of the most closely watched roster moves of the offseason, and she delivered immediately. Reese had 11 points and 14 rebounds in her debut for Atlanta — her 50th career double-double in just 65 games, the fastest any player has reached that mark in WNBA history.
But beyond the statistics, it was the moments that defined Reese’s debut. She converted a driving layup through contact to record the team’s first points of 2026 and grabbed six rebounds in her very first quarter. And in the game’s most critical moment, it was Reese who slammed the door shut — blocking Emese Hof’s layup attempt as time expired to clinch the victory. For a player brought in to change Atlanta’s identity, that was the perfect introduction.
Minnesota’s Growing Pains
It would be unfair to analyze this game without acknowledging Minnesota’s context. Five-time All-Star Napheesa Collier did not play for the Lynx, having had surgery on both ankles this offseason and not expected to return until early June. Between free agency and an expansion draft, Minnesota parted ways with six of last year’s nine rotation players. This is effectively a rebuilt team, and the 19-point lead they built against a quality Atlanta squad suggests their ceiling — once Collier returns — could still be quite high.
No. 2 overall draft pick Olivia Miles had a strong debut for the Lynx with 21 points, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks in her professional debut, showing exactly why she was considered one of the most polished prospects in this year’s class. Kayla McBride added 18 for Minnesota, and the Lynx showed flashes of being genuinely dangerous. Blowing a 19-point lead stings, but there’s plenty of season left for a team that, at full strength, projects as a real contender.
What This Win Means for Atlanta
For the Dream, this wasn’t just a season opener — it was a statement. Overcoming a 19-point deficit on the road, with five players in double figures, in a game that wasn’t decided until the final second, tells you everything about this team’s character and depth. All five starters finished with double-digit point totals, reflective of a true team effort.
Allisha Gray’s 24 points, Naz Hillmon’s 15, Rhyne Howard’s 15 with three threes and three steals, Jordin Canada’s 12 points and six assists, and Angel Reese’s double-double — that’s not a team carried by one star. That’s a team that can hurt you in multiple ways, from multiple players, across every facet of the game.
The 2026 Atlanta Dream just told the rest of the WNBA: don’t count them out. No matter the deficit, no matter the clock. They will find a way.
