The Atlanta Dream are done waiting for respect. On Monday night they took it, blowing past the New York Liberty 95-84 in a game that could reshape the entire top half of the WNBA playoff bracket.

Jordin Canada led four Dream players in double figures with 19 points, while Angel Reese bulldozed her way to 18 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double. DeWanna Bonner added 17 and Rhyne Howard chipped in 16, but it was Allisha Gray who broke the game open — she scored all 12 of her points in a single third quarter that saw Atlanta outscore New York 11-0 during one stretch and build a 73-62 cushion heading into the fourth.

Liberty Can't Answer

New York never found an answer. Breanna Stewart poured in 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Jonquel Jones added 18 and 12, but the Liberty's supporting cast went cold at the worst possible time. The loss snapped New York's three-game winning streak and, according to a report from Yahoo Sports, drops them into the eighth seed — meaning the Liberty will open the postseason on the road instead of hosting a first-round series.

The night carried extra weight before tip-off: New York honored seven players from this year's FIBA Women's World Cup, including Stewart, who was named tournament MVP with Team USA. It made the collapse that followed sting even more for the home crowd.

Atlanta's third-quarter surge turned a competitive game into a laugher — and turned the WNBA's playoff picture upside down.

For Atlanta, now 29-14, the win is about positioning as much as pride. Per Atlanta News First's game coverage, the Dream can lock up a coveted top-four seed and home-court advantage in the opening round with either a win over the Liberty in their regular-season finale on Wednesday, or a single loss by Indiana in its final two games. A team that has spent years scrapping for playoff relevance now controls its own destiny for a home series.

Reese, in her first season wearing a Dream jersey after a headline-making move from Chicago, continues to make her presence felt on both ends, and Howard's outside shooting has given Atlanta a scoring balance that's proven hard to game-plan against. If Wednesday's rematch goes anything like Monday's, the Liberty's road to a title defense just got a lot steeper.