Angel Reese blocked Emese Hof’s attempt at the buzzer, helping the Atlanta Dream edge the Minnesota Lynx 91-90 in Saturday night’s season opener in Minneapolis.
Allisha Gray led all scorers with 24 points for Atlanta. Naz Hillmon and Rhyne Howard each contributed 15 points, while Reese recorded a double-double in her debut with the Dream, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Olivia Miles, selected second overall in the 2026 WNBA draft, impressed in her first professional start for Minnesota, posting 21 points and eight assists. Kayla McBride added 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and Courtney Williams chipped in 14.
Atlanta mounted a comeback by outscoring the Lynx 54-38 in the second half.
Minnesota held an 85-78 lead with 4:27 remaining after a driving layup from Miles. The Dream responded with a 7-0 run, highlighted by Hillmon’s consecutive layups and a 3-pointer, tying the game at 85-all with 2:44 left.
McBride gave the Lynx a 90-87 edge with a 3-pointer at the 1:11 mark, but Jordin Canada’s layup cut the deficit to one point with 59 seconds to go. Te-Hina Paopao then drained a jump shot with 12 seconds left, putting Atlanta ahead 91-90. Minnesota had one final chance, but Reese blocked Hof’s layup attempt to seal the win.
The Lynx opened the game with a 24-12 lead after the first quarter, scoring the first seven points on a Nia Coffey 3-pointer, a Williams pull-up jumper, and a Coffey jump shot. Atlanta ended its scoring drought when Reese drove to the rim for a layup—her first bucket as a Dream player after beginning her WNBA career with the Chicago Sky.
Minnesota stretched the lead to 19 points late in the first half. McBride’s 3-pointer made it 50-33 with 1:48 before the break, and free throws by McBride and Emma Cechova pushed the advantage to 52-33. Hillmon’s 3-pointer and a Reese free throw cut the deficit to 52-37 at halftime.
