MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — Allisha Gray scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Atlanta Dream defeated the Minnesota Lynx 91-90 on Saturday night at Target Center in front of 10,821 fans, spoiling the Lynx’s season opener.

Gray, a guard from Sandersville, Georgia, shot 5 of 6 from the free-throw line and added three assists and one block in 33 minutes. She scored eight points in the fourth quarter alone, including two free throws with 1:24 remaining that gave Atlanta an 87-83 lead.

Angel Reese posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, to go with three blocks and two assists. Reese also committed six turnovers but made critical plays down the stretch, including a block of Emese Hof’s potential game-tying layup as time expired.

Naz Hillmon and Rhyne Howard each scored 15 points for Atlanta. Hillmon, a forward from Cleveland, Ohio, added seven rebounds and two assists and shot 6 of 9 from the field, including a 3-pointer with 2:44 left in the fourth that pushed the Dream’s lead to 85-80. Howard, a guard from Cleveland, Tennessee, finished with six rebounds, five assists and three steals while shooting 4 of 10 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line.

Jordin Canada contributed 12 points, six assists and two rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench for the Dream.

Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 18 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining that cut Atlanta’s lead to 89-88. She also had two rebounds and three assists. Courtney Williams added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Lynx, and Olivia Miles scored 13 points with eight assists.

Atlanta, which opened its season with a 1-0 record, trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. The Lynx led 52-37 at halftime after shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range over the first two periods. But Atlanta outscored Minnesota 26-19 in the third quarter and 28-19 in the fourth.

The Dream’s comeback began with a 12-2 run to open the third quarter. Gray converted two free throws at the 8:31 mark to give Atlanta its first lead since early in the first quarter, 60-59. The lead changed hands several times before Atlanta took control in the final minutes.

The most important part of the game came in the final 12 seconds. After a timeout, Atlanta inbounded and Te-Hina Paopao made a 16-foot pullup jumper with 12 seconds left to give the Dream a 91-88 lead. Minnesota called its final timeout and drew up a play for Olivia Miles, but Gray blocked Miles’ driving layup with 6.6 seconds remaining. The loose ball was recovered by Minnesota, and after a scramble, Hof attempted a 4-foot layup from the left block as the horn sounded. Reese rotated over and blocked the shot, preserving the victory.

Replays confirmed the block was legal, and the Lynx could not get another shot off. The sequence capped a frantic finish that featured two Minnesota coach’s challenges in the fourth quarter, both of which were unsuccessful but allowed the Lynx to retain timeouts.

McBride’s late 3-pointer had given Minnesota life, but the Lynx could not get the stop they needed. Atlanta shot 44.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range but made 16 of 22 free throws. Minnesota shot 38.6 percent overall and 22.2 percent from deep, hitting 17 of 21 free throws.

Reese, who drew a technical foul in the first quarter, played through foul trouble and finished with three personal fouls. Her offensive rebounding was a key factor: Atlanta grabbed 14 offensive boards to Minnesota’s nine, leading to 17 second-chance points.

Howard, who logged 38 minutes, made a 27-foot 3-pointer early in the second quarter that pulled Atlanta within single digits, and Hillmon hit a 3-pointer just before halftime to cut the Dream’s deficit to 52-37 at the break. The Dream’s best quarter was the fourth, when they shot 50 percent from the field and made 9 of 11 free throws.

Minnesota’s Williams, a native of Folkston, Georgia, scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half. The Lynx were without a true star performance in the closing minutes; they committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta returns to Target Center on Sunday for the second game of a back-to-back, part of a stretch that includes five road games in seven days. Minnesota also hosts Atlanta again Sunday before traveling to Phoenix on Monday.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Minnesota with a 63.10 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 2.5 points. The total score of 181 points went over the over-under line of 157.5.