Atlanta Dream Beat Valkyries to Take WNBA Finals Lead

Atlanta moved within two victories of its first WNBA championship after the Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena. Angel Reese led the hosts with 21 points and 12 rebounds as Atlanta took a 2-1 series lead before a sold-out crowd of 17,099.

Reese recorded her third consecutive double-double in the Finals, becoming the youngest player in Finals history to achieve that feat. She also joined A'ja Wilson as the only players to post at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive Finals games, according to the league records cited in the report.

The Dream delivered their most efficient offensive performance of the series, shooting 49.3% from the field and making nine 3-pointers. Their scoring marked a sharp turnaround after two low-scoring games in San Francisco.

Reese described her determination to secure the championship as a driving force behind Atlanta's performance.

"Y'all not taking this from us, and that's in my heart," Reese said. "Like, I'm not letting you take this from us. I think [that confidence] becomes contagious within the team. They feel that confidence too."

The three-time All-Star finished as Atlanta's leading scorer and continued to serve as an emotional leader on the court. She also interacted with opponents, teammates and officials throughout the game, celebrating at one point with six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas, who was seated courtside.

Reese credited the home environment and contributions across the roster for the offensive improvement.

"I knew it was coming, especially back home," Reese said of the team's scoring output. "It feels good to be home on your own court and you've seen the basket that you shoot on every single day. ... Everybody contributed from top to bottom.

"And when you shoot 49%, I mean, you win games."

Rhyne Howard contributed 16 points, four assists and four rebounds, while becoming the first player in league history to record five steals in consecutive Finals games. Naz Hillmon scored 15 points, DeWanna Bonner added 12 off the bench, and Jordin Canada finished with 10 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

Howard said Atlanta's improved spacing and composure helped create better scoring opportunities throughout the game.

"We definitely showed that we played a little more free tonight, and we got easier looks because of it," Howard said. "We weren't stressed. We just let the game come to us, and we went out and we won.

"Our attention to detail, our spacing, making sure that we're moving, giving people the lanes to drive the ball, finding each other for open shots. We were more together on that end of the floor and ... we were just feeding off of each other."

The victory also exposed continued problems for Golden State, which committed 17 turnovers that Atlanta converted into 22 points. The Valkyries had given the ball away 18 times in their Game 2 loss, extending a pattern that undermined their offense in the series.

Golden State shot just 34.8% from the field. Gabby Williams led the team with 15 points, while Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaun scored 13 apiece. Salaun reached a postseason scoring high despite having received fewer minutes in recent playoff games, and Tiffany Hayes added 14 points off the bench after helping keep the Valkyries competitive early.

Hayes said Golden State failed to match Atlanta's determination and acknowledged that the team's ball-handling mistakes reflected a lack of discipline.

"I think this game, they wanted it more than us, and that's not who we are," Hayes said. "That's not who we've been, and that's not how we got here.

"[The turnovers are] a lot of us being undisciplined. ... Uncharacteristic of us."

The defeat came after Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase had expressed dissatisfaction with her team's Game 2 performance and said the players were prepared to respond. Following Game 3, she questioned whether the team could combine its individual efforts into a consistent collective performance.

"Sometimes, promises aren't kept," Nakase said. "I think there's sometimes individual punches and some people with great spurts and some people with great energy. But it's like, well, then how can we do it all together?

"The will is there, the want to is there, but the fight together, I'm missing -- the piece of putting it together."

Atlanta's shooting performance was particularly significant against a Golden State defense that had allowed opponents to shoot above 45% from the field only twice in the 2026 playoffs before Wednesday. The Dream now hold a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven Finals, leaving the Valkyries needing to respond to avoid falling further behind in the championship series.