SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries are 1-0 in WNBA Finals games after defeating the Atlanta Dream, 68-64, in the first game in the best-of-seven series on Saturday, Oct 13, at the Chase Center.
The Dream, on the other hand, are 0-10 in the Finals. They are playing in their fourth championship series in franchise history and this one is off to a familiar start.
Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 26 points. Eight other players scored in Golden State's balanced effort. The Valkyries shot 33% and their bench outscored the Dream's 20-6.
The Dream had three players in double figures led by Allisha Gray with 19 points. Angel Reese had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Atlanta shot 32% from the field and scored eight points in the fourth
quarter.
Here are the winners and losers from Game 1 of the WNBA Finals:
Winners
Valkyries forward Gabby Williams
It took Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams a while to get going, but once she heated up, she never cooled down.
Williams was held scoreless in the first quarter, shooting 0-of-4 from the field and 0-of-3 from the 3-point line. But she came out aggressive in the second quarter and scored 16 of her 26 points in the frame, becoming only the sixth player in WNBA Finals history to record 15 or more points in a quarter.
"Once we all started having fun and the excitement got out, we started to kind of find our way," Williams said. "We always know we're going to find a way somehow. There was a lid on that basket tonight, but that's why we rely on our defense."
It wasn't the most efficient outing for Williams, who shot 8-of-22 from the field, 3-of-11 from the 3-point line and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, but she was the only Golden State player to finish in double digits. Williams rounded out her stat line with four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Dream guard Allisha Gray's return
Allisha Gray has been waiting nearly 14 days to play a basketball game. The wait was well worth it. Gray might have lost her shoes at one point ― and even her defender momentarily as she got back up to speed ― but it didn't seem to matter as she scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds against a gritty Golden State Valkyries defense. She used her used her speed to get downhill, weave through traffic and misdirect. Gray was also good at drawing fouls against Golden State, something the Dream did well during the regular season.
"I felt well. I mean I felt playing out there. Finger felt good ... was able to get through the physicality. Definitely disappointed in the loss, but ... we're gone have a film session. Clean up some of the mistakes we had and be prepared and ready to win Game 2," Gray said postgame.
Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere
Laeticia Amihere hadn't played Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs, a 104-80 win against the Dallas Wings on Sept. 27.
But staying ready for when your number is called has been the way of the Valkyries. And when Amihere's card was pulled in Game 1 the WNBA Finals, she delivered. It wasn't a splashy performance, but Amihere's presence played a huge role in the Valkyries' win.
Amihere played for Atlanta for two seasons in 2023 and 2024. So when Golden State matched up with the Dream, Amihere provided some intel.
"LA did a fantastic job with that matchup. LA had great energy," Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said. "Again she was kind of our insight with this game plan. You can tell there was a lot of confidence in her matchup, but again of course she's gonna say it's team defense.
"LA just did a phenomenal job and then protecting the rim. She was really key tonight for our success."
Amihere did a little of everything with five points, five rebounds, a steal and a block in 14 minutes. She went 2-for-2, finishing under the rim and immediately provided a needed spark for the Valkyries.
Valkyries' Kaila Charles
Kaila Charles didn't have the best shooting performance, but she did everything else. Charles pulled down 10 rebounds, including three offensive rebounds. She added a couple of assists, steals and a block to her stat line. She was an overall +13 in the plus/minus box.
Kai (Kaila Charles) made game winning plays tonight," Valkyries guard Gabby Williams said. "Kai made a huge defensive stop into transition, got a wide open layup and those are the kinds of things that ... when our shots aren't falling those are the kind of plays that are gonna win these kinds of games."
Valkyries center Kiah Stokes
Kiah Stokes had the best defensive rating of any center in the WNBA this season, and it’s easy to see why when you consider her holistic impact on Golden State’s suffocating style.
In Game 1 against Atlanta, Stokes blocked a game-high four shots and grabbed seven rebounds to go with nine points. She secured a crucial defensive rebound and drew the fifth foul on Dream star Angel Reese after Naz Hillmon missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining in the game.
Stokes leads the WNBA in rebounds (64) and blocks (16) this postseason.
In addition to her value on the defensive end, Valkyries leading scorer Gabby Williams gave a shoutout to Stokes postgame for setting screens that create space for the Valkyries’ best shooters and making possession-saving plays.
“She's probably like the best screener in the league, which isn't really talked about enough,” Williams said. “Kiah and (Kaila Charles) made game-winning plays tonight. Kiah got a big (offensive rebound) after I missed a layup. She went up, got the O-board, got the lid off the basket.
"Those are the kinds of things that when our shots aren't falling, those are the kind of plays that are going to win these kinds of games.”
Losers
Dream’s fourth-quarter execution
The Atlanta Dream had a five-point lead over the Golden State Valkyries heading into the fourth quarter. They were 10 minutes away from stealing Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on the road at Ballhalla.
But then the Dream came undone offensively.
Atlanta was held to eight points in the fourth quarter. The team shot 2-of-20 from the field and 0-of-7 from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously a tough finish for us,” Karl Smesko said after the loss. “Unfortunately, we had kind of one bad defensive quarter where we had a few breakdowns and then one bad offensive quarter in the fourth where we kind of turned it over and didn't have the kind of shot quality that we wanted.”
The Dream had a number of self-inflicted wounds in Game 1. Despite entering the WNBA Finals with a playoff-high 24.4 points scored off turnovers, it was the Valkyries who got the best of their opponents. Atlanta conceded 17 points on 12 turnovers, compared to 10 turnovers (eight points conceded) for the Valkyries.
Dream's bench
On Saturday, Golden State's depth showed up huge. Four different players scored for the Valkyries as it wracked up 20 points to the Dream's six. DeWanna Bonner, who had been leading Atlanta's bench unit during the postseason, played 13 minutes and scored two points. Isobel Borlase scored the rest of the Dream's bench points. The rest of the bench did not see minutes.
"They're probably the deepest team in the league, and they use their bench quite a bit," Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. "We're gonna have to find our opportunities to get some players some rest (because) we know how physical the Valkyries are and how aggresive they are. How can we buy a minute here, a minute there so that we can be fresh down the stretch?
Dream guard Rhyne Howard's shooting performance
Rhyne Howard did not have the performance needed for the Dream to escape with a victory. Howard scored 12 points in their loss to Golden State, shooting 21.4% from the field (3-for-14). She struggled in the game as the stingy Valkyrie defense forced her into three turnovers on the night.
Howard knows her play was uncharacteristic and hopes to have a better outing in Game 2 on Monday, Oct. 19.
"They forced us into a version of the game of basketball that we don't play," Howard said. "We didn't punch back. We just kind of played to how they were making us play. We're going to have to watch some film and go back and make some adjustments."
Dream rebounding
Atlanta was the second-best overall rebounding team in the WNBA this regular season (35.6 rpg) and led the league in offensive rebounds per game (10.6). But the Dream faltered on the boards down the stretch in Game 1, missing their last six field goal attempts of the game and letting the Valkyries secure the rebound each time.
Overall, Golden State outrebounded Atlanta, 41-35. A large part of that was due to the Valkyries’ bench, which had a 22-3 rebounding advantage over the Dream’s bench.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA Finals winners and losers include Valkyries' Gabby Williams, Dream's meltdown
