Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu's Final Box Score Stats, Highlights as Dream Beat Liberty

The Atlanta Dream will begin their postseason at home.

Atlanta clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with an 83-65 victory over the New York Liberty on Wednesday at Barclays Center in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Angel Reese did not play in the second half after Sabrina Ionescu accidentally struck her in the face on a flagrant foul, but Allisha Gray still led the way for the Dream in their fifth straight win to end the regular season.

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Jonquel Jones spearheaded the shorthanded effort for a Liberty squad that was without Breanna Stewart ( knee soreness ) before leaving with her own ankle injury in the second half.

Considering the Dream won by 11 behind a balanced offensive attack with five players scoring at least 14 points when these same two teams played Monday when Stewart was available, Atlanta figured to have the advantage in this one.

Yet the Liberty led by one at the end of the first quarter with Jones stepping up in Stewart's absence and dominating the boards. Ionescu was also more aggressive on the offensive end while the New York defense frustrated Reese.

But it was just a matter of time before Atlanta figured things out.

The visitors used suffocating defense to enjoy a dominant 23-7 advantage in the second quarter alone. Many of their offensive opportunities came from forced turnovers, while New York struggled to generate any open looks. Ionescu's flagrant foul came when she was attempting to create space.

While Reese shot the ensuing free throws and returned to the bench after going to the locker room, she did not play in the second half.

That wasn't the only health concern, as things went from bad to worse for the Liberty in the third quarter when Jones injured her ankle by stepping on a courtside fan's foot after a three-point attempt.

To New York's credit, it continued to battle despite falling behind by 20 points in the second half and losing Jones. But every time the home team made a run, Gray was there with a timely drive to the basket or outside shot to keep the lead at double digits into the fourth.

That was on full display during the stretch run as well, as Gray drilled a three and then assisted Jordin Canada in transition on back-to-back plays to turn a seven-point advantage into a 12-point one and end any realistic comeback efforts.

She was the best player on the floor in some of the most important moments, and the Dream will be at home to start the playoffs as a result.