Angel Reese scored 30 points and pulled down 16 rebounds at Chase Center on Monday night to deliver the Atlanta Dream the first WNBA Finals win in their 18-year history, a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries that levelled the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Reese shot 10 of 16 from the field and 9 of 11 from the line, adding three assists, two blocks and a steal to become only the third player to post 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game. Three nights after she failed to make a single field goal in the second half of Atlanta’s 68-64 defeat in Game 1, she had 15 points by the interval and was audibly demanding the ball — “I need the ball! I need the ball!” — as the Dream worked their way back into the series.
“I let my team down last game,” Reese said. “I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark.”
A third quarter that broke the game open
The scores were tied at 42-42 midway through the third quarter before Atlanta’s defence turned the night. The Dream outscored Golden State 21-9 in the period, forcing the Valkyries into a run of empty possessions and converting them at the other end in transition.
Rhyne Howard was the catalyst. She managed only five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes but set a Finals record with six steals, repeatedly jumping passing lanes as Golden State tried to move the ball through the middle of the floor.
“Deflections, steals, getting us out in transition, making good decisions with the ball — she came up huge,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said.
Allisha Gray added 18 points and Jordin Canada finished with 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Golden State’s numbers told the story of a side that never found rhythm:
- 34.4% shooting from the field, and 7 of 24 from three-point range
- A starting five that went a combined 9 of 35
- 18 turnovers, which Atlanta turned into 24 points
Gabby Williams, the hero of Game 1, laboured to 14 points on 3-of-15 shooting. Tiffany Hayes matched her total off the bench and Veronica Burton had 11 points and seven rebounds, but the Valkyries had no answer for Reese in the paint. “She was definitely way more aggressive, she had a great game,” centre Kiah Stokes said.
Eleventh time lucky for a franchise that had never won
Atlanta’s victory ends one of the more unusual droughts in American professional sport. The Dream, founded in 2008, reached the Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and were swept in all three, losing every game they played. Monday was their 11th Finals appearance and their first win — 0-10 becomes 1-10.
The architect of the change is a trade that looked bold in April and looks decisive in October. Atlanta acquired Reese from the Chicago Sky on 6 April for 2027 and 2028 draft picks, taking on a two-time All-Star who had averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds for a team that won 10 games. Reese cited Smesko’s record in player development as the reason she pushed for the move; Smesko, who had just overseen a franchise-best 30-win season, called her two-way impact “elite”. The No. 4 seed is now two wins from a title with its centre playing the best basketball of her career.
For Golden State, the defeat was a first regulation loss since 21 August — a reminder of how dominant the second-year expansion side had been. The Valkyries entered the league in 2025 and finished this season as the No. 2 seed, a timeline no WNBA expansion team has matched. Natalie Nakase’s team has been built on defensive pressure and depth, and the concern after Game 2 is not the system but the shot-making: a side that ranks among the league’s best at generating three-point looks made seven of 24.
What happens next
The series moves to Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday at 20:00 ET and Game 4 on 24 October, both at State Farm Arena. The Dream moved up from the 3,500-capacity Gateway Center Arena for the Finals, giving them a building that holds more than 17,000 — and the prospect of the loudest crowd in the franchise’s history behind them.
The 2-2-1-1-1 format still favours Golden State, who hold home court for a potential Game 5 on 26 October and Game 7 on 31 October. That makes the next two games the hinge of the series: win both and Atlanta can close it out at home in Game 6; split them and the Valkyries return to Chase Center in control.
“It’s going to be loud,” Burton said of the trip east. “This is Finals basketball and where we want to be.”
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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