Dream Rout Valkyries in Game 3, Move Two Wins From First Championship

The Atlanta Dream brought the WNBA Finals home Wednesday and left with their first lead of the series, beating the Golden State Valkyries 97–71 before a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena.

Angel Reese finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds as Atlanta moved ahead 2–1 in the best-of-seven series. Two more victories would give the franchise its first championship.

The final margin concealed a much closer contest early in the second half. Golden State erased Atlanta’s six-point halftime advantage and tied the game at 49. The Dream answered with eight straight points, including four from Reese, before the Valkyries pulled within 59–55.

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That was their last serious challenge. Atlanta scored 12 of the third quarter’s final 14 points to take a 71–57 lead, then widened the gap in the fourth. Across the first three games, the Dream have outscored Golden State 63–35 in the third quarter.

Reese had help throughout the lineup. Rhyne Howard scored 16 points and collected five steals, becoming the first player with at least five steals in consecutive WNBA Finals games. Naz Hillmon added 15 points, Isobel Borlase scored 12 off the bench, and Jordin Canada contributed 10 points and eight assists.

Atlanta turned 17 Golden State turnovers into 22 points and held the Valkyries to 34.8% shooting. Reese, meanwhile, became the youngest player to record double-doubles in three consecutive Finals games.

The home crowd had waited 13 years for another Finals game in Atlanta. Wednesday’s matchup moved from the Dream’s usual 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena, allowing thousands more fans to attend.

Golden State’s Gabby Williams finished with 15 points, and former Dream guard Tiffany Hayes scored 14.

For Atlanta coach Karl Smesko, the series lead came with a reminder.

“We’re only halfway home,” he said. “We have two wins. We need two more.”

Game 4 is Saturday, Oct. 24, at State Farm Arena, with tipoff at 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. A victory would give Atlanta a 3–1 lead; a loss would send the series back to San Francisco tied.