Dream Beat Valkyries 97-71 to Lead WNBA Finals 2-1
Angel Reese scored 21 points with 12 rebounds as Atlanta won Game 3 at a sold-out State Farm Arena on Wednesday night and moved one win closer to a first title.
Key points
- The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
- Angel Reese led Atlanta with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
- Atlanta set the tone in the first minutes.
The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Angel Reese led Atlanta with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. She shot 7 of 12 from the field, made both of her 3-point tries and went 5 for 5 at the line. Rhyne Howard scored 16 points, Naz Hillmon added 15, Isobel Borlase scored 12 and Jordin Canada had 10 points and eight assists.
Atlanta set the tone in the first minutes. Golden State did not score for the first 4 minutes and 53 seconds, the second longest drought to open a WNBA Finals game, according to Elias Sports Bureau reporting shared by ESPN. The Dream led 23-15 after one quarter and 46-40 at halftime, then pulled away with a 25-17 third quarter and a 26-14 fourth.
Reese had 15 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers. Atlanta is 14-0 this season when she makes a 3-pointer, according to the WNBA, with nine of those wins in the regular season and five in the playoffs. She had 19 points and 10 rebounds through three quarters, her third double-double in three Finals games.
Why it matters
Golden State won Game 1 at home, 68-64. Atlanta answered in Game 2, 79-65, behind 30 points and 16 rebounds from Reese. Game 3 was the first Finals game in Atlanta, played at State Farm Arena after the series moved from the smaller Gateway Center, and the building was sold out. Former Atlanta players Josh Smith and Dwight Howard and the rapper 2 Chainz were in the crowd.
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul late in the third quarter after she walked onto the court to protest an offensive foul call on Gabby Williams. Canada made the free throw to put Atlanta ahead 69-57.
Through three quarters, Tiffany Hayes led Golden State with 14 points, and Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini had 13 each. Salaun, the league Sixth Woman of the Year, had scored no points in the first two Finals games.
What happens next
Game 4 is also in Atlanta. Both franchises are chasing a first WNBA championship, and Atlanta can take a 3-1 lead at home, while Golden State needs a win to send the series back to California tied.