Valkyries Beat Dream 67-62 in Game 4 to Tie the WNBA Finals and Force Game 5

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday at State Farm Arena, and the first WNBA Finals in the expansion team's history is going to a winner-take-all Game 5. Golden State led 42-26 at halftime, the largest halftime lead of the series, and held off a second-half Atlanta rally that cut the margin to five. Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 17 points. Rhyne Howard scored 19 for Atlanta. The Valkyries won both games in Atlanta after the series arrived tied at one game each, and they can win the championship on Monday night at home.

The game was won before halftime. Atlanta scored 11 points in the first quarter and 15 in the second, its lowest-scoring half of the entire season. The Dream committed 14 turnovers in the first half against a Golden State defense that switched everything and crowded Howard and Angel Reese at every catch. Reese had four points and five turnovers by halftime. Golden State started Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles, and its pressure turned the Finals' loudest building quiet. Atlanta fought back after the break, winning the third quarter 19-12 and the fourth 17-13, and outrebounded Golden State 51-42 for the game. It was not enough. The Dream shot 18 of 54 from the field and committed 18 turnovers to Golden State's nine.

Why it matters

An expansion team is one win from a championship. Golden State was built from an expansion draft and other teams' benches, and it has now won two Finals games on the road against an Atlanta team built around two of the league's biggest stars. For Atlanta, the pattern is the problem. The Dream lost Game 3 in overtime on Thursday at home, and in Game 4 their offense failed for a full half in the biggest game of their season. Howard got her 19 points, but she had to work for every one, and Reese never found the game at all. Atlanta's season now depends on winning in the loudest building in the league.

The context

Kiah Stokes gave Golden State a piece of history in the loss column for Atlanta. Her three blocked shots made her the first player in WNBA Finals history with at least two blocks in four straight Finals games, and she passed Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner for the most total blocks in a Finals series. Williams did a bit of everything for Golden State with five rebounds, three assists and three steals next to her 17 points. The crowd of 17,099 got a Big Boi halftime show and a fourth-quarter push, but the Valkyries never gave up the lead they built in the first half.

What happens next

Game 5 is Monday, October 26 at Chase Center in San Francisco, tipping at 8 p.m. Eastern on USA Network, Peacock and CNBC. Winner takes the title. Golden State will try to close the series the way it played the first half on Saturday, with pressure that turns Atlanta's stars into passers. Atlanta needs the version of itself that won the second half, and it needs it for forty minutes this time.

Key numbers

• Final score: Golden State Valkyries 67, Atlanta Dream 62
• Halftime score: Golden State 42, Atlanta 26, the largest halftime lead of the series
• Gabby Williams: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals for Golden State
• Rhyne Howard: 19 points and 8 rebounds for Atlanta
• Turnovers: Atlanta 18, Golden State 9. Atlanta committed 14 in the first half
• Kiah Stokes recorded three blocks and set the WNBA Finals record for total blocks in a series
• Attendance: 17,099 at State Farm Arena