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Reese Scores 30 as Dream Beat Valkyries 79-65, Tie WNBA Finals

Angel Reese posted 30 points and 16 rebounds at Chase Center as Atlanta won Game 2 on Monday night and sent the best-of-seven Finals back to Atlanta tied at 1-1.

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Reese Scores 30 as Dream Beat Valkyries 79-65, Tie WNBA Finals
Photo: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angel_Reese_September_2024.jpg)

Key points

  • The Atlanta Dream evened the WNBA Finals on Monday night, beating the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 at Chase Center behind 30 points and 16 rebounds from Angel Reese.
  • Golden State won Game 1 on Saturday, 68-64, and led Game 2 after the first quarter, 21-18.
  • The game turned in the third quarter.

The Atlanta Dream evened the WNBA Finals on Monday night, beating the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 at Chase Center behind 30 points and 16 rebounds from Angel Reese.

Golden State won Game 1 on Saturday, 68-64, and led Game 2 after the first quarter, 21-18. Atlanta answered in the second quarter and took a 39-37 lead into halftime on a late jumper by DeWanna Bonner, who held a finger to her lips to quiet the home crowd as she ran back on defense.

The game turned in the third quarter. Atlanta outscored Golden State 21-9 in the period and closed it on a 15-2 run. Jordin Canada banked in a 3-pointer from near the logo at the buzzer to push the lead to 60-46. Golden State scored nine points in the whole quarter and never recovered. Atlanta led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Reese set the tone after a quiet second half in Game 1, when she scored all 14 of her points before halftime. This time she had 15 points and seven rebounds by the break and kept going. Allisha Gray added 18 points and five rebounds for Atlanta. Canada finished with 13 points and 10 assists.

Defense did the rest of the work. Atlanta recorded 14 steals and forced 18 Golden State turnovers. Rhyne Howard set a WNBA Finals record with six steals in one game. Both teams shot 34 percent from the field, and the Dream won the game at the free throw line and in transition.

Why it matters

Atlanta lost the first game of this series and lost its 10-game winning streak with it. A second loss in San Francisco would have left the Dream needing to win four of five against a team that has fed off its home crowd all postseason. Instead, the series is level, and the next two games are in Atlanta, where the Dream can take control of the franchise's first championship run since reaching the Finals in 2013.

Golden State still has home court if the series goes the distance, and the Valkyries have not lost their edge at home. Kiah Stokes blocked four shots for the second straight Finals game, joining Brittney Griner as the only players in league history with at least four blocks in consecutive Finals games. Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes led Golden State with 14 points each, and Veronica Burton added 11.

What happens next

The series shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 at State Farm Arena. Golden State needs one road win to regain control. Atlanta needs to hold serve at home to keep the pressure on the expansion team's first Finals run.

Timeline

  1. Oct 17, 2026Golden State wins Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, 68-64, behind 26 points from Gabby Williams.
  2. Oct 19, 2026Atlanta wins Game 2, 79-65, as Angel Reese posts 30 points and 16 rebounds to tie the series 1-1.

Sources