The Atlanta Dream just set the tone for what can be expected from them in the semifinals. DeWanna Bonner and Co. faced one of the most lethal teams in the WNBA, the New York Liberty, in Game 1 on Sunday and came away with a convincing 92-82 win, despite losing one of their key players to injury. So with Atlanta now holding a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, Bonner had nothing but praise for Jordin Canada, who stepped up when the Dream needed her most.

“I just feel like that’s what we need from [Jordin Canada] and she knows that. She’s been doing that night in and night out,” Bonner said during the postgame interview. “We just rode her wave. She just brings all the energy. She’s the head of the snake on defense and offense. So when she gets going, then it gets everyone else going, and I’m just super proud of her, and I’m excited to see what she’s going to do the rest of this series. We know it’s a long way, but we go as JC go.”

Canada was at the center of everything Atlanta did right on Sunday. After scoring only five points in the first half, the 5-foot-6 guard exploded for 20 in the second half to finish the game with 25, while also adding five steals. Her defensive pressure helped the Dream force 21 turnovers, turning those mistakes into 32 points as Atlanta repeatedly punished New York in transition.

The Liberty did make a late push, cutting a 16-point deficit to five in the closing minutes. But Canada knocked down a clutch 3-pointer just before the shot-clock buzzer and later added another transition layup off a defensive stop to help the Dream shut the door on New York’s comeback attempt. DeWanna Bonner, meanwhile, was the second-best scorer. She added 23 points off the bench and recorded a team-high nine rebounds.

What made the win even more impressive, though, was that the Dream had to navigate it without Allisha Gray for the entire second half after she went down with an injury. The four-time All-Star initially injured her left hand after hard contact on a screen in the first quarter and briefly returned in the second. However, with 3:44 left in the first half, Gray dove for a loose ball and immediately grabbed the same hand in visible pain. She left the court and was ruled out before halftime.

Gray is currently being evaluated, with no further update provided on her condition during the postgame press conference. If the injury turns out to be serious, though, Atlanta could be forced to move forward without its leading scorer this season. Gray is averaging 22.0 points per game in the postseason and played a crucial role in helping the Dream secure back-to-back wins over the Washington Mystics in the first round.

So with one of their biggest scoring threats sidelined, Canada stepped up and delivered the kind of performance DeWanna Bonner was talking about. Canada opened up about her mindset going into the playoff series against the eighth-seeded New York Liberty.

“I know that there’s nothing that I can’t do, number one. And I know that. I just try to do what I do best; I feel like I’ve been counted out a lot this season and just overall in my career. I know people say this and say that about me, and I see it all, but I really don’t care; I just try to come out and do what my team needs me to do, whether that’s defensively set the tone, be aggressive, finding ways to deflect and cause chaos. And then offensively, just being aggressive, looking for my shot, trying to attack the paint, create for my teammates, and just do what I can.”

For now, all eyes will be on Gray’s status as the Dream await an update ahead of Game 2 on October 7. But if this game showed anything, it’s that the Dream aren’t limited to just one star. DeWanna Bonner provided the veteran presence Atlanta needed while Canada took control of the game.