For the first time ever, the WNBA Finals are going the distance. The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6 on Thursday, October 29, tying the series 3-3 and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 with a first championship on the line for both franchises.
Here is how it happened, based on reporting from the Associated Press via the Los Angeles Times, NBA.com and NBC Sports.
Atlanta’s shooters finally break through
Facing elimination at home, the Dream came out firing. Allisha Gray scored 23 points, hitting five of seven three-pointers, and Rhyne Howard added 21 with four threes. Angel Reese recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
The start was decisive. Atlanta made six of its first eight threes and 11 of 15 shots overall in the opening quarter, ripping off a 13-0 run on the way to a 32-15 lead after one. By halftime it was 46-26, and the Dream’s lead eventually stretched to 25 points.
That was a dramatic turnaround from Games 4 and 5, Atlanta’s lowest-scoring games of the series, when the Valkyries’ defense won 67-62 and 64-55 to take a 3-2 lead.
“It’s not going to rain forever,” Reese said she had told her teammates. “And we were able to maximize that moment today. The sun peeked out a little bit more today and gave us an opportunity to see Game 7.”
Dream coach Karl Smesko said his team simply got back to its identity. “We played with a different spacing and pace,” he said. “Like, in truth, it’s how we are supposed to play.”
Golden State’s late push falls short
The Valkyries struggled badly early, making only nine of 34 shots in the first half against Atlanta’s defense. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 26 points and Tiffany Hayes added 15.
Golden State did make it interesting late. A Kaila Charles three closed the third quarter at 63-47, and the Valkyries later cut the gap to 77-66 on Laeticia Amihere’s free throws with 1:57 left, then to 77-69 on a three-point play by Williams. Gray answered with a crucial three to shut the door.
There were other flashpoints. Veronica Burton was called for a flagrant foul in the third quarter after a review found unnecessary contact to Howard’s face, and Hayes fouled out with 5:01 remaining after a collision for a loose ball, leaving the court slowly after being checked by a trainer.
“The way we started in the first quarter was unacceptable on our end,” Burton said afterward. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was equally blunt: “We knew they were going to be desperate. For us not to match that is disappointing and frustrating.”
A packed house despite an awkward tip time
The Dream had announced a sellout for Game 6 despite a much-criticised 12:30 p.m. Eastern tipoff on a weekday, and the AP reported only scattered empty seats in the upper level.
Key numbers from Game 6
- 80-69: Atlanta’s final margin, tying the series at 3-3.
- 23 points for Allisha Gray, including 5-of-7 from three.
- 32-15: the Dream’s lead after the first quarter.
- 9-of-34: Golden State’s first-half shooting.
- 16-0: Atlanta’s record this season when Reese makes at least one three, per the AP.
Game 7: what to know
The decisive game is set for Saturday, October 31, at Chase Center in San Francisco, with tipoff at 8 p.m. Eastern. It will air on USA Network and stream on Peacock, according to NBC Sports.
Both teams are chasing history. Atlanta joined the league as an expansion team in 2008 and has reached the Finals four times, in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2026, without winning a title. Golden State is in only its second season and won 32 regular-season games before its playoff run. As NBC Sports put it, it is a tale of two expansion teams and two powerhouse defenses.
The Valkyries will have home court and the memory of their defensive clampdown in Games 4 and 5. The Dream will have momentum and the confidence that their shooters have found their range again.
The bottom line
After six games and two dramatic swings in momentum, the 2026 WNBA Finals come down to one night in San Francisco. Whoever wins on Saturday will lift the franchise’s first championship trophy, and will do it in the first Game 7 the WNBA Finals have ever seen.
Image: Freestanding basketball net (Unsplash) by Andy Hu humadethis via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0
