Dream stuns Lynx 91-90 in season opener at Target Center
Atlanta erased a 19-point hole and stole the opener on Te-Hina Paopao’s jumper with 11.3 seconds left. Angel Reese’s debut and Allisha Gray’s 24 points gave the Dream an immediate new identity.
Atlanta walked into Target Center with a reshaped roster and left with a statement. The Dream rallied past Minnesota 91-90 on Saturday, overcoming a 19-point deficit and taking their first and only lead on Te-Hina Paopao’s jumper with 11.3 seconds remaining.
The result told the early-season story of both franchises. Atlanta’s offseason makeover was on display in Angel Reese’s first regular-season game with the team, and the forward delivered 11 points and 14 rebounds in her debut after joining the Dream on April 6. Allisha Gray supplied the scoring punch, finishing with 24 points and 16 after halftime as Atlanta slowly narrowed a game that had looked out of reach.
Minnesota, meanwhile, showed the tension between continuity and transition. The Lynx were without Napheesa Collier because of an ankle injury, and the absence mattered in a game that the home team controlled for long stretches before fading late. The Lynx led by as many as 19 points, but Atlanta kept pressing, turned defense into late possession pressure, and made the final minute count.
The numbers underscored how tight the game became. There were only two ties and one lead change all night, and the decisive possession came with less than 12 seconds left. Atlanta’s final push also featured a block from Reese that helped seal the comeback and gave the rookie-heavy, veteran-led mix a defining early moment. The game drew 10,821 fans, a charged crowd for a matchup that already carried the feel of an early measuring stick.
For Atlanta, the win offered more than a single road result. It showed a team trying to establish an identity around Reese’s rebounding, Gray’s shot-making and Paopao’s poise in the closing seconds. For Minnesota, the loss exposed how thin the margin can be when a star is unavailable and a young roster is trying to protect a big lead. The first game of the season did not settle either team’s ceiling, but it made clear how much each side already depends on its new and returning tone-setters.
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