Allisha Gray went down with an injury to her left hand in the first quarter of Sunday's WNBA playoffs semifinal between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty.
How Did Allisha Gray Get Injured?
The All-Star guard came up clutching her shooting hand after hurting her pinky and ring fingers while closing out on a Sabrina Ionescu layup at State Farm Arena. Trainers taped the two fingers together in the locker room before Gray checked back into the game in the second period.
But that return didn't last long. Gray visibly struggled to grip the ball, missing badly on a three-point try before tearing off the medical tape on the court.
Then, just before halftime, Gray went down again while appearing to re-injure the same hand. She headed back to the locker room before the Dream ultimately ruled her out for the remainder of the game.
Gray's Injury Impacts Atlanta Dream's WNBA Playoffs Run
Despite losing such a key offensive player, Atlanta managed to take its WNBA playoffs opener against New York, 92-82, though head coach Karl Smesko was transparent about his fears regarding Gray's availability moving forward.
"She's been a huge reason we've been so successful this year and it was tough to see her not out there," he said postgame. "Hopefully she'll be OK.
Gray averaged 19 points per game during the regular season and is one of three All-Stars on the roster. With no timeline on her return, Atlanta looks to fill in the gaps in a pivotal Game 2 on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
