Atlanta found a way to win a Finals game without finding an easy shooting night.
Angel Reese scored 30 points and collected 16 rebounds as the Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 79–65 on Monday at Chase Center, bringing the WNBA Finals to a 1–1 tie. The result sends the best-of-seven series to Atlanta with neither team holding a lead and gives the Dream the first Finals game victory in franchise history.
The difference emerged after halftime. Atlanta led 39–37 at the break, then outscored Golden State 21–9 in the third quarter. A game separated by one possession became a 60–46 advantage entering the fourth. The teams scored 19 points apiece in the final period, leaving Golden State unable to reduce the deficit.
That sequence matters more than the final margin alone. Atlanta did not need to turn the game into an offensive race to take control. It limited the Valkyries to nine points across an entire quarter, creating room for its own offense to operate through missed shots and foul trouble. The Dream’s defense changed what would have been an uncomfortable two-point game into a fourth quarter played on their terms.
Reese supplied the efficiency Atlanta needed. She made 10 of 16 field-goal attempts, added three assists and blocked two shots. Her scoring and rebounding gave the Dream a reliable source of production when the rest of the attack did not have the same rhythm. The combination was essential in a game Atlanta finished shooting 33.9 percent from the floor.
The gap between Reese’s individual shooting and the team’s overall percentage explains why her performance carried such weight. She converted opportunities at a rate the Dream could not reproduce across the lineup. Atlanta still had to manufacture enough possessions and enough trips to the foul line to make those baskets count. The win came from combining her finishing with contributions that did not depend on a hot shooting stretch.
Allisha Gray scored 18 points. Jordin Canada added 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, providing another double-double alongside Reese’s. Rhyne Howard recorded six steals, a Finals record according to the league’s game recap. Those contributions gave Atlanta different ways to influence the game: Gray as a scorer, Canada as a distributor and Howard by disrupting Golden State’s possessions.
Canada’s line also shows why the Dream’s offense cannot be measured only by who took the most shots. Ten assists reflect the work of creating baskets for teammates. In a low-percentage game, the ability to organize possessions and find another scorer becomes especially valuable. Atlanta received that contribution while Canada also helped on the glass.
Together, Reese, Gray and Canada supplied 61 of Atlanta’s 79 points. Their combined production gave the Dream a scoring base around which the rest of the team could defend and contribute.
Golden State finished at 34.4 percent from the field and made seven of 24 attempts from 3-point range. Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes scored 14 points apiece; Veronica Burton added 11. Kiah Stokes collected 11 rebounds and blocked four shots, giving the Valkyries defensive resistance around the basket even as their own offense struggled to sustain its production.
Williams made three of 15 shots. Golden State therefore faced a different scoring problem from Atlanta: it had multiple players reach double figures, but it did not have a scorer producing the volume and efficiency Reese delivered. Stokes’ blocks and rebounding could help keep possessions alive or end Atlanta attacks, but those contributions could not supply the missing points.
Atlanta had entered halftime dealing with significant foul trouble. The team’s account reported four first-half fouls for Howard and three for Reese. The Dream nevertheless widened their lead after the break rather than allowing those constraints to decide the game. Their third quarter became the clearest answer to the pressure of returning home down two games.
The result does not establish that Atlanta has solved every offensive issue. A team shooting barely above one-third from the floor still has execution to improve. It does establish a workable route through a difficult night: get substantial production from Reese, create baskets through Canada, and prevent Golden State from turning a close game into a comfortable offensive rhythm.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, at State Farm Arena. The WNBA moved that game forward from its original Thursday date and set tipoff for 7 p.m. Chicago time. Game 4 follows Saturday at noon Chicago time at the same arena. Atlanta returns with an opportunity to build on a road split; Golden State arrives needing to regain the offensive control it lost in Monday’s third quarter.
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