WNBA Finals: Dream Defend Home Court in 97-71 Win

The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven WNBA Finals. Angel Reese led Atlanta with 21 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists, three steals and two 3-pointers.

“We feel good – we're still pissed that we lost the first game,” Reese said after the game. “We know how good we are; we know our identity.”

Reese Leads Atlanta

Reese recorded a double-double in each of the first three Finals games, becoming the first player in WNBA history to do so. She also became the youngest player in WNBA Finals history to record more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, and the only woman to record consecutive double-doubles in her first three Finals games.

Her performance followed a 30-point, 16-rebound night in Game 2, when Atlanta earned its first Finals victory. Five Dream players scored in double figures on Wednesday. Rhyne Howard put up 16 points and five steals, while Naz Hillmon scored 15.

Janelle Salaun scored 11 points for Golden State, and Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 15. Tiffany Hayes added 14. After the loss, Hayes said, “Disappointed in our fight. This game they wanted it more than us. That's not who we are, who we've been and how we got here.”

Atlanta opened with a 9-1 lead after five minutes. Golden State missed its first eight shots. Aminata Gueye scored with 4:39 left in the first quarter, and the Valkyries pulled within 13-10 before Hillmon hit consecutive 3-pointers and Reese added another. Atlanta finished the quarter ahead 23-15.

The teams combined to make 15 of 31 3-point attempts in the first half, a 48% rate. They made more 3-pointers than in either of the first two games. Atlanta held a 46-40 halftime lead, with Reese on 15 points and Salaun on 11.

A Lead Built After the Break

Golden State scored the first five points of the second half, tying the game at 48-48 early in the third quarter. With the score knotted at 49, Atlanta answered with eight straight points, four from Reese. She capped the run with a driving layup after dribbling down the court.

Hayes pulled the Valkyries within 59-55 on a layup. Atlanta then scored 12 of the quarter’s final 14 points to build a 14-point lead. The Dream outscored Golden State 25-17 in the third, and have outscored the Valkyries 63-35 in that quarter across the first three games.

Atlanta led by 17 in the fourth when Jordin Canada overthrew Reese on a break. Reese saved the ball, tossing it over her head beneath the basket to Howard, who drew a foul. The Dream stretched the lead to 21 and held it through the final minutes. Reese left with 1:36 remaining and cheered from the bench.

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said his team corrected its play after a sloppy start to the second half. “They knew what mistakes they were making, and they huddled up,” he said. “And then they started making plays, and it started. The crowd started getting behind it.”

The Arena and the Series

The league moved Games 3 and 4 from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena with the Atlanta Hawks and the larger venue, to accommodate a larger crowd. Gateway Center seats 3,500; State Farm Arena can seat more than 17,000. Game 3 sold out, and so did Game 4, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Howard said Atlanta needed to defend its home floor. “Protect home court. Giving our fans a show. We fought for this arena so we had to protect it,” she said. “We went and stole one but we can't let them come in and do the same thing.”

Both teams are chasing their first WNBA title. Atlanta has reached the Finals three times before, most recently in 2013, but has never won a championship. The Valkyries reached the playoffs in their inaugural season last year and are competing for the title in their second season.

Game 1, broadcast on NBC, averaged 2.1 million viewers, the most ever for a first game of the Finals. Game 2, broadcast on USA Network, averaged 1.33 million viewers. Reese said Atlanta still had work to do: “We're all happy for sure, but it's going to take more. The job is not finished so we're going to keep going.”