Chelsea Gray Comes Through in Clutch, Lifts Aces Past Dream
ATLANTA - Underestimate the Las Vegas Aces at your own risk.
The defending WNBA champions outlasted fatigue and the Atlanta Dream on Sunday afternoon in front of 17,044 at State Farm Arena, claiming an 85-84 overtime win against a gritty opponent. Aces point guard Chelsea Gray delivered the game's defining moment, knocking down a go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds remaining before sealing the win with a steal on Atlanta's final possession.
The result, which improved Las Vegas to 4-1 and dropped Atlanta to 2-1, proves the Aces' experience and late-game execution remain critical in high-stakes moments.
"It felt like a playoff environment, and when you get those types of road wins early in the season, it speaks to the togetherness, and it speaks to our chemistry and our grit," Gray said. "Even though they made a run, we got to work on not giving up leads like that, but it speaks to our grit down the stretch to be able to get it done."
Atlanta went on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter, helping to erase a 19-point deficit. The Dream seemingly responded to every Aces push until coming up empty on the final possession.
Gray finished with a game-high 21 points, along with six assists and five rebounds in her 33 minutes. A'ja Wilson added 20 points, and Chennedy Carter came off the bench with 20 points of her own. Wilson also added another accomplishment to her résumé, surpassing her head coach, Becky Hammon, for No. 19 on the WNBA's career scoring list at 5,842 points.
The atmosphere inside the venue reflected growing excitement around Atlanta basketball. Fans booed Wilson at the free-throw line, remained engaged with each possession and erupted during the final moments as the score tightened. Still, Vegas showed why it remains highly effective in late-game situations.
"The bigger the moment, the bigger [Gray] gets," Hammon said, "So, yeah, you always just have the ultimate trust. I have the ultimate trust in the group down the stretch."
The win marked Las Vegas' third straight after opening the season with a 99-66 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Although the Aces continue to find ways to close out games, Gray acknowledged they are still working to clean up stretches where leads slip away.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? So I mean, we trust in each other every time. We can put the basketball in a lot of people's hands and know that they're going to make the right read, and that's what Becky [Hammon] stresses - you don't need to take the shot, for you to make the right read," Gray said.
Hammon pointed to fatigue as a factor in the Aces' fourth-quarter struggles. They've played five games in nine days, after all.
"I think we just ran out of gas a little bit, to be honest," Hammon said. "Some uncharacteristic turnovers there at the end, but they're going to make a push, you know, the last two games that they've had against Dallas and Minnesota, they were down at halftime, I believe, and really good second-half team … we just kind of hit a wall there in the fourth quarter, so for our group, I think it was just a really gutsy win to be able to pull one out."
Dream head coach Karl Smesko lamented having to come back from a steep deficit, but he saluted his players' resilience in rallying and forcing overtime against the three-time champs. Allisha Gray scored a game-high 25, and Madina Okot recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Atlanta. Angel Reese contributed nine points and eight rebounds.
"Obviously, we don't want to live in a situation where we're having to battle back from 19 down, but I do like that we just keep playing and have a lot of belief that we can get back in these games if we just start executing a little better. To be playing a championship-level team and have the lead in the final minute … we just competed and found a way to give us a chance at the very end."
Hammon appreciated her team weathering Atlanta's comeback and winning despite attempting 20 fewer free throws than the Dream.
"We can win when it's ugly," Hammon said. "That's the lesson here - and win when it's hard, win through adversity, and it was a game filled with adversity, especially in the fourth quarter. … We were able to play through it and get a big stop at the end."
The Aces get a well-deserved break before hosting the Los Angeles Sparks (1-3) on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The Dream, meantime, play host to the Dallas Wings (1-2) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gateway Center.
Related: 5 Bold Predictions for the Las Vegas Aces' 2026 Season
Related: 5 Bold Predictions for the Atlanta Dream's 2026 Season
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 9:01 PM.