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Why is Allisha Gray not playing vs Liberty tonight? Know reason behind Dream guard's absence in WNBA semifinals
Allisha Gray misses her first game of the playoffs after being forced out of the series opener.
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The Atlanta Dream takes on the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals on Wednesday, looking to build on their series lead and move closer to the Finals.
Why is Allisha Gray not playing?
However, Atlanta will be without one of its most important players, as Allisha Gray has been ruled out with a left finger injury suffered in Game 1.
Gray misses her first game of the playoffs after being forced out of the series opener. She managed seven points in 11 minutes before the injury ended her night.
How did Allisha Gray get injured?
Dream fans were given an early scare in Game 1 when Gray appeared to hurt her shooting hand and went down during the opening quarter. She headed to the locker room before returning to the court with her fingers taped.
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However, the issue flared up again when Gray went after a loose ball. The 31-year-old appeared to aggravate the same hand and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
At the time, it was unclear whether Gray was dealing with a minor finger issue or something that could keep her sidelined for longer. That uncertainty was addressed ahead of Game 2 when Dream head coach Karl Smesko confirmed that Gray would not be available.
Karl Smesko provides Gray injury update
Gray had an appointment to have the injured finger examined, but Smesko said there was still limited information available on her condition.
"She had an appointment today. Day-to-day, after that,” the Dream coach said.
When asked whether he was optimistic about Gray returning sooner rather than later, Smesko responded, "I'm optimistic about a lot of things. I don't know, I don't have any more information... she will be out tomorrow, is all I have."
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Gray's absence is a significant blow for Atlanta, considering she led the team in scoring during the regular season. The Dream guard averaged 19 points per game, along with 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals.
