Angel Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 on Monday night in the WNBA Finals. The win levelled the best-of-seven series at 1-1 and took place at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Allisha Gray added 18 points as the Dream took full control at both ends of the floor in the second half. The series now returns to Atlanta, where the next games will be played.
Dream take control after the break in San Francisco
Atlanta’s defence wore down a Golden State side that had been strong in the opener. Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals, while Jordin Canada contributed 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
The result was a first Finals victory in franchise history for the Dream, who had been winless in three previous Finals appearances. They head home having salvaged a split in front of a loud crowd at Chase Center, which fans call “Ballhalla”.
Reese said the atmosphere made the game difficult. “This environment is tough to play in. Shoutout to the fans. Shoutout to my team, though,” she said after the game. “We came and fought. I mean, that Game 1 was tough for us. But we moved on.”
Reese became the third player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game. She joined Jonquel Jones of Connecticut, who did it in 2019, and Breanna Stewart of Seattle, who did it in 2020.
Valkyries centre Kiah Stokes said Reese had been far more aggressive. “She was definitely way more aggressive; she had a great game,” Stokes said. “We let everyone kind of have their way.”
Reese bounces back after scoreless second half
Reese had gone scoreless in the second half of the opener, but she was much more productive in the second game. She finished 10 for 16 from the floor, added three assists and blocked two shots, while foul trouble threatened to limit her role.
Reese credited the team’s preparation for the win. “We watched film and saw the things that we messed up on,” she said. “When I said that they didn’t do anything to mess us up, it was literally just us.”
Golden State struggled with its shooting. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting, and point guard Veronica Burton was blunt about the performance. “We shot terribly,” Burton said. “We missed shots that we make all the time.”
The Valkyries also gave the ball away 19 times, and Atlanta scored 24 points off those turnovers. Atlanta had managed only eight points off turnovers in Game 1, but it returned to the defensive approach that had carried the team this far.
Series shifts to Atlanta with Game 3 on Wednesday
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta. The next two games were moved to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena so that more fans could attend.
The arena holds more than 17,000 people, compared with 3,500 at the Dream’s regular home, Gateway Center Arena. Chase Center holds 18,064 and has sold out every game since the Valkyries began playing last year.
The loss was Golden State’s first in regulation since a 73-70 defeat at Chicago on August 21. Reese made clear that she expected the same level of intensity in Atlanta. “And we can see that tonight. And we’re gonna carry that over in Atlanta,” she said.
