The WNBA Finals shift to State Farm Arena on Wednesday night, with the Atlanta Dream hosting the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of a best-of-seven series that is tied at one game apiece. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.
The first two games at Chase Center each went in a different direction. Golden State took Game 1, 68-64, behind 26 points from Gabby Williams, who scored 16 of them in the second quarter. That second-quarter total was a career high for any quarter for Williams and the third most in a single quarter in WNBA Finals history. The Valkyries closed that game by holding Atlanta to eight fourth-quarter points on 2-of-19 shooting (10.5%), including 0-for-7 from three, the fewest points allowed in a Finals quarter since 2022. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 19 points, and Angel Reese added 14 points and 12 rebounds, but Reese attempted only two shots in the second half. Dream head coach Karl Smesko acknowledged afterward that his team did not get Reese the ball enough.
Atlanta answered in Game 2 with a 79-65 win to take home-court advantage. Reese finished with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 16 rebounds, joining Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones as the only players in league history to post that stat line in a Finals game, and becoming the youngest player in WNBA history with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the Finals. Gray scored 18, and Jordin Canada added 13 points and 10 assists. Rhyne Howard set a WNBA Finals record with six steals as Atlanta tied a franchise Finals record with 14 steals as a team. The Dream turned 19 Golden State turnovers into 24 points, won the fast-break battle 19-0 and outscored the Valkyries 21-9 in the third quarter. The victory was the first Finals win in franchise history after Atlanta had gone 0-10 across three previous trips to the championship round.
For Golden State, Tiffany Hayes and Williams each scored 14 points in Game 2, with Williams going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line and adding four steals. Kiah Stokes grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots, joining Brittney Griner as the only players in WNBA history with four or more blocks in consecutive Finals games. If Stokes records four or more blocks Wednesday, she will become the first player ever to do it in three straight Finals games. Stokes is averaging 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this postseason.
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said before Game 3 that her team must respond with more effort after Game 2, which she described as one of the team’s worst fighting games of the season. “We do have to bring another fight,” Nakase said. She said the team watched film after returning from the loss, and that while players felt they had played hard, the film showed otherwise. According to Nakase, the players took accountability right away, acknowledging they could play harder, be more physical and take better care of the ball. Nakase also took responsibility for how she approached Game 2. “That was on me. My delivery wasn’t right,” she said, adding that she reminded her players not to lose their joy in the process.
Nakase pointed to the energy Kaila Charles brought in Game 1, when Charles grabbed a postseason career-high 10 rebounds off the bench, and said the Valkyries need that same fight Wednesday along with more patience on offense because Atlanta is packing the paint. She said moving the ball and protecting it will be priorities. Nakase also said she expects Golden State fans to travel to Atlanta for the game.
Both teams arrive built on defense. Golden State allowed a league-low 75.1 points per game during the regular season and leads all playoff teams in opponent scoring at 77.8 points per game. Atlanta is right behind at 78.3, and the Dream are averaging 10.1 steals per game this postseason. During the regular season, Howard, Canada and Reese became the first set of teammates in league history to finish as the top three in steals per game.
Depth is a key difference between the two rosters. The Valkyries are averaging 30.9 bench points per game this postseason, the best mark among playoff teams, compared with 14.0 for Atlanta. Golden State outscored the Dream bench 33-11 in Game 2 but could not overcome its turnovers. Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaün, the first unanimous winner of the award, has been held scoreless through the first two games of the Finals.
Reese leads Atlanta this postseason at 19.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, followed by Gray at 17.6 points, Canada at 16.7 points and 8.7 assists, and Howard at 16.1 points. Canada needs five assists to become the franchise leader in postseason assists, and Howard is 11 points from moving into fourth on the Dream’s all-time postseason scoring list. Williams leads Golden State at 22.0 points per game in the playoffs, fourth in the league, while Hayes is adding 12.1 points per game off the bench.
The matchup carries a homecoming element for Golden State. Hayes spent her first 10 WNBA seasons in Atlanta and helped lead the Dream to the 2013 Finals, and Laeticia Amihere was drafted by Atlanta eighth overall in 2023.
The Valkyries won all three regular-season meetings, including an 88-83 victory in Atlanta on July 4. Atlanta is 3-0 at home this postseason, while Golden State is 1-1 on the road.
Neither franchise has won a WNBA championship. Game 4 is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in Atlanta on NBC and Peacock.
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