Atlanta Dream beat Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game Six of WNBA Finals to force Game 7
Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Atlanta in Game Six of the WNBA Finals on Sunday, forcing a seventh and deciding game. The victory kept the series alive and sent it to a Game 7 in Golden State.
Atlanta entered the match with a history of Finals losses, having previously recorded zero wins and 10 defeats in the championship series after 3-0 series losses in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Golden State led the series 3-2 before Game Six, leaving Karl Smesko's side with no margin for error as they sought to extend the contest.
The Valkyries were slow out of the blocks and trailed 32-15 at the end of the first quarter, a deficit the hosts maintained through the half and into the finish. Atlanta led 46-26 at half-time and kept a healthy buffer for much of the second half, a start that proved pivotal to the outcome.
Gabby Williams was the game’s top scorer with 26 points despite not being at her best, while Angel Reese led the rebounding charts with 14. Reese, 24, is in her first season with the Dream after being traded from the Chicago Sky, and her Game Two display earlier in the series made her "the youngest player, and only the third overall, to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals series." Kiah Stokes had kept Reese quiet in Game Five but was unable to replicate that performance in Game Six.
The scheduling and venue for Game Six were changed amid concerns about a clash with the Atlanta Hawks: the game had been due to start at 20:00 local time at Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of 3,500, but was moved to State Farm Arena and brought forward to 12:30 local time. "Our concerns did not receive the attention nor the urgency that they deserved. We earned our place in the Finals, and our city deserves the opportunity to show up for its team," the Dream said in an open letter.
State Farm Arena, which has a capacity of 16,888, was sold out for the game. Reese added: "We didn't have everyone come out at 12:30 for nothing. We appreciate the fans' support, on a week day, they came out and supported us."
"Every time we threw the first punch we won the game. We set the tone early," Reese said after the game. "We needed an opportunity and that's all we needed. We maximised it today. Just really proud of this group. The job is not done. I'm looking forward to it. One more [game to go]."
The first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history will be played at Golden State at 01:00 GMT on Sunday; having suffered back-to-back defeats, the hosts will rue the missed opportunity to clinch the title in front of a large home crowd.