Angel Reese’s 30 points and 16 rebounds gave Atlanta its first Finals victory, sending the series east tied 1-1 as Golden State tries to regain control in Game 3 on Wednesday.
By Staff Reporter
The Golden State Valkyries’ unbeaten home run through the playoffs ended at the worst possible moment on Monday night, as the Atlanta Dream beat them 79-65 at Chase Center to even the WNBA Finals at a game apiece.
The best-of-seven series now moves to State Farm Arena in Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific time, broadcast on USA and Peacock, and Game 4 on Saturday, Oct. 24. Game 5 will return to San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 26, according to the team.
For a second-year expansion franchise that has sold out every game it has played, the stakes are plain: two road games will decide whether the Valkyries come home with a chance to clinch a championship in front of their own crowd.
How Game 2 turned
The game was close for more than two quarters. The first quarter featured seven lead changes, and Kaitlyn Chen’s left-handed layup with 0.2 seconds left gave Golden State a one-point lead after the period, according to the Valkyries’ game recap. Atlanta led 39-37 at halftime.
With the score tied at 40 early in the third quarter, the Dream went on a 29-8 run that built a 21-point lead midway through the fourth. The Valkyries made three 3-pointers in the final quarter but never got closer.
Reese, the league’s defensive player of the year, finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds, as reported by ESPN and BBC Sport. The Valkyries’ own Game 3 preview said she became the youngest player to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game. The win was the first Finals victory in the history of the Dream franchise, which had been swept in the 2010, 2011 and 2013 Finals.
“I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” Reese said afterward, according to BBC Sport. “I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark. And I think I did that.”
In Game 1 on Saturday, the Valkyries had held Reese without a field goal after the first quarter in a 68-64 victory, according to the team’s Game 1 recap.
Free throws and turnovers
The box-score margins tell much of the story. Both teams made 21 field goals and seven 3-pointers, according to the Valkyries’ preview, but Atlanta attempted 35 free throws to Golden State’s 19 and outscored the Valkyries 30-16 at the line.
Golden State also committed 19 turnovers, the most in its brief playoff history, and Atlanta scored 24 points off them, compared with 13 for the Valkyries.
The Valkyries’ bench outscored Atlanta’s reserves 33-11, but Gabby Williams was the only Golden State starter to reach double figures, with 14 points. Tiffany Hayes added 14 off the bench, and Veronica Burton had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Kiah Stokes had 11 rebounds and four blocks; the team said she and Brittney Griner, in 2014, are the only players in league history with at least four blocks in consecutive Finals games.
What Golden State needs in Atlanta
Williams has been the Valkyries’ leading scorer this postseason. In Game 1 she scored 26 points, 16 of them in the second quarter, a total the team said is tied for the third most in a quarter in Finals history.
“She’s showing that when we need some buckets, she’s willing to go out there, get to her spots and take over,” Coach Natalie Nakase said after that game, according to the team. In Game 2, Williams was 7 for 7 from the free-throw line and had four steals, a postseason career high, the team said.
The numbers from Game 2 point to two priorities on the road: containing Reese and keeping Atlanta off the free-throw line, and protecting the ball against a defense that scored 24 points off Golden State turnovers on Monday.
A Bay Area franchise on the big stage
The Valkyries’ rise has been one of the more notable stories in Bay Area sports. The team began play in 2025, and the BBC noted that this is its first Finals appearance; Atlanta last reached the Finals in 2013.
Monday’s crowd of 18,064 was the franchise’s 51st consecutive sellout, the team said. For the Atlanta games, the Valkyries will hold official watch parties at Chase Center, which the team describes as its home court, Ballhalla, with the game shown on the arena’s video board.
Whatever happens in Georgia, the series is guaranteed to come back to San Francisco for Game 5 on Oct. 26. Whether that game is a chance to clinch, or a must-win to stay alive, will be settled over the next five days.
