Gabby Williams scores 30 as Golden State Valkyries beat Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 at Chase Center

Gabby Williams scored 30 points as the Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA finals at Chase Center on Saturday, 31 October, to capture the franchise’s first championship. The victory concluded a seven-game series and crowned the Valkyries in the league’s inaugural Game 7.

The Valkyries are a second-year franchise that began play two seasons ago and entered the postseason as the No 2 seed, carrying home-court advantage through the playoffs. They advanced past Dallas in the first round and swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces to reach the finals. The WNBA expanded the finals to a best-of-seven format last year.

Golden State opened Game 7 with an 8-0 run and led 14-12 after the first quarter, aided by five blocks before Atlanta recorded its first field goal. The Dream responded with a 7-0 run to take a brief lead early on. The second quarter flipped that pattern: the Valkyries did not make a field goal until there were three minutes remaining while Atlanta put together a 9-0 run.

Golden State missed its first 10 three-point attempts before Kayla Thornton finally hit from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Williams then turned the tide in the third quarter, drilling three consecutive three-pointers to reduce Atlanta’s advantage. She scored 15 points in that period, helping the Valkyries to a 45-44 lead entering the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, Allisha Gray tied the game at 53 with a mid-range jumper with 4 minutes 52 seconds remaining; a minute and a half later Williams regained the lead on a free throw. Williams hit a contested three-pointer with two seconds on the shot clock to put Golden State up 60-57 with 2 minutes 14 seconds left, and Atlanta was unable to recover.

Williams finished with 30 points in the game. Tiffany Hayes scored 11 points en route to her first WNBA title at the age of 37, and Veronica Burton recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double for Golden State. For Atlanta, Jordin Canada led with 18 points, Allisha Gray had 16, and Angel Reese was held to eight points and 12 rebounds.

Golden State had won Games 1, 4 and 5 earlier in the series before clinching the title at home in Game 7. This matchup produced the WNBA’s first-ever Game 7 after the finals format was expanded last year; Las Vegas swept Phoenix in four games under the new format the previous season. In the United States the series will air on NBC, USA Network and CNBC with all games streaming on Peacock, while in the UK Sky Sports holds coverage and in Australia viewers can watch through WNBA League Pass with selected coverage on ESPN.