Atlanta Dream kept their championship hopes alive with an 80-69 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 6 of the WNBA Finals, forcing a decisive Game 7 on Sunday. The win marks the first time the Dream have won a Finals game after previously going 0-10 in the series, having been swept 3-0 in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
Game Summary
The Valkyries entered the contest with a 3-2 series lead but fell behind early, trailing 32-15 after the first quarter. Atlanta maintained a comfortable margin throughout, leading 46-26 at halftime. Despite the loss, Golden State's Gabby Williams led all scorers with 26 points, while Dream forward Angel Reese dominated the boards with 14 rebounds.
Reese, in her first season with Atlanta after a trade from the Chicago Sky, continued her impressive Finals debut. In Game 2 she became the youngest player and only the third overall to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals series. Valkyries center Kiah Stokes had limited Reese in Game 5 but could not replicate that effort in Game 6.
Historic Game 7 Awaits
The first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history will take place at Golden State at 01:00 GMT on Sunday. "Every time we threw the first punch we won the game. We set the tone early," Reese said. "The job is not done. I'm looking forward to it. One more [game to go]."
Game 6 was originally scheduled for 20:00 local time at the 3,500-capacity Gateway Center Arena but was moved to State Farm Arena (capacity 16,888) and brought forward to 12:30 local time due to a scheduling conflict with the Atlanta Hawks. The Dream had expressed frustration in an open letter that their concerns "did not receive the attention nor the urgency that they deserved." State Farm Arena sold out for the rescheduled game, and Reese thanked the fans for their weekday support.
