Allisha Gray led the Atlanta Dream in scoring in the regular season at 19.0 points per game. Then a hand injury hit, and she dropped to 15 points per game through the first three Finals games. Now, with the series tied 2-2 and Game 5 coming up, there is fresh news on her status.

“Allisha Gray (hand) not listed on injury report for Monday,” Underdog WNBA reported on X.

Gray, a four-time All-Star, hurt her left hand in Game 1 of the Dream’s semifinal series against the New York Liberty. She missed the last two games of that round, and Atlanta won both to sweep the Liberty. She came back for Game 1 of the Finals, a 68-64 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. 

In the first three Finals games, she shot 28.9% from the field and 22.2% from three.

“I am feeling fine, but I am not 100%,” Gray told ESPN ahead of Game 4.

She keeps playing anyway. Before Game 1, she said her injured fingers don’t affect her shot release much, and she has talked about going easy on herself and finding other ways to help.

“I know that a 10% Lish is better than a 0% Lish,” Gray added.

In Game 3, Gabby Williams made contact with Gray’s hand, and Gray left the court briefly. She came back a few minutes later.

Game 4 was tougher. Gray picked up three fouls early in the first quarter and ended up with five. She played only 22 minutes, down from her playoff average of 28.4. She shot 1-of-7 for five points and missed all four of her threes, including an open look with 64 seconds left.

With Gray on the bench, rookie Isobel Borlase took her minutes and scored 10 points, but the Valkyries picked on her on defense. Dream coach Karl Smesko said the fouls were a factor after the game.

“The foul trouble was definitely a factor. You know, she only got to play about half the game, but Allisha [Gray]’s a competitor. She’ll be back out there,” Smesko said.

Both teams are two wins away from a first title, so Gray’s status could matter a lot in Game 5.

Dream Look to Fix Game 4 Mistakes With the Title Race Tied

Game 5 starts Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Dream have already won there once. They beat the Valkyries 79-65 in Game 2, and Gray scored 18 points. They also led most of Game 1 there before losing late, then won Game 3 97-71, the most points the Valkyries allowed all postseason.

The Dream won by forcing turnovers and running. They led the league in fast-break points in the regular season, but scored only two in Game 4.

Game 4 went the other way. A win would have put Atlanta one win from the first title in its 19-year history, but the Dream turned the ball over 18 times, shot 33%, fell behind by 16 at halftime, and scored just 62 points, their lowest total of the year.

Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 19 points in Game 4, but she said a lack of focus caused the sloppy play.

“We kept talking about it, but we didn’t (do anything) about it,” Howard said.

Angel Reese’s numbers show the gap. In Atlanta’s two wins, she averaged 25.5 points. In its two losses, she averaged 11.0. Game 4 was one of those losses. She shot 2-of-12 for eight points and said she rushed her shots.

The Dream also missed nine free throws, and Reese said they would have won if they had made all of them.

That makes Gray’s status a big deal. Atlanta mostly uses a seven-player rotation, so the Dream have little room when she sits. They want her scoring next to Howard and Reese, and she can help more if she stays out of foul trouble.

Smesko said the Dream will be motivated to play their best game of the series, and he liked the fight his team showed in the second half.

Both teams want a first title, and whoever wins Monday will be one win away. For the Dream, Gray is not on Monday’s injury report.