ATLANTA ― With their backs against the wall, the Atlanta Dream pulled out their best quarter of the entire series to open Game 6 of the WNBA Finals: 32 points right on the head tops of the Golden State Valkyries.
Golden State scored the first bucket of the game on Thursday, Oct. 29, but it was off and running for Atlanta after that. The Dream refused to let up en route to their 80-69 win, which evened the series 3-3 and sent the Finals back to San Francisco for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The Dream's defense was stickier. Their intensity was higher than it had been in two games. And their confidence? Near the roof of State Farm arena as they dropped six 3-pointers and shot a blistering 73% from the floor in the first 15 minutes.
The high-fives were back and so were the chest bumps. The pace was even much faster for Atlanta, who had fallen in a slumber the past two games, lulled to sleep by the Valkyries slow and methodical grind-you-down identity.
“We've gotten in trouble, had our turnovers when we start to stand around and stare at the ball and watch one person go (iso)," Dream coach Karl Smesko said pregame. "So I think that's when you're playing (into) Golden State’s strength. Our activity level, our cutting, our screens, that's when we're at our best.”
Speed was on Atlanta's side as it used misdirection to get the looks it wanted, which included pulling Angel Reese out from the basket, making her a facilitator and allowing her to pick her spots when she took shots, and leaning into the athleticsm of its guards: Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard.
Then, Atlanta spread Golden State out on play after play as the the Valkyries struggled to keep up. The Dream hammered home execution during Wednesday's media availiblity and made it known that they were still confident. The confidence resurfaced in the quality of their shots and the way Atlanta trusted its ability to manipulate Golden State's aggressiveness on defensive.
"We know if we don’t keep up, we go home. It’s Game 6, win or go home, and that’s not what I wanna do. I’m not ready for my season to be over with yet," Dream guard Allisha Gray said at halftime. "Keep the intensity going in the second half. We know they’re a great second half team, but we’re also a great second half team as well, so as long as we keep our intensity and keep pushing the pace, we’ll be alright."
The Valkyries showed better fight in the third quarter, and a Gabby Williams coast-to-coast steal and score at 6:35 was the loudest the Golden State bench was all game. The team from the Bay was never just going to lay down. It's not in their nature. It was still causing Atlanta miscuses and breaking up the Dream's passing lanes. The Valkyries even upped their defensive intensity by picking up players like Gray, Reese and Canada at 94-feet during the third quarter.
So, if Atlanta wanted to force a decisive Game 7, it needed to keep going. The Valkyries third quarter of death, which it has owned during multiple games in the 2025 playoffs, was still a thing in Game 6 and that just wasn't going to stop. Golden State outscored Atlanta 21-17 in the frame to cut the lead to 16.
But the Dream remained focused, and after Howard unleashed a huge block of Kiah Stokes in the fourth quarter, they picked up the intensity and the big buckets fell. Gray cashed in a bucket and then Reese secured two massive shots that lifted her confidence and the air in State Farm arena. One of those baskets was a 3-ball that sent the venue into a frenzy as Reese celebrated with fans.
"We get another opportunity to be able to come back home (and) be able to play in front of our fans again. This is the moment that we need to come and maximize. We're not just here just to mess around. We here to (play) Atlanta Dream basketball, get to our identity," Reese said Wednesday.
Still, Golden State did not go quietly, it pushed Atlanta in the fourth quarter, cashing shot after shot in the paint, nearly asking Atlanta: how bad do you want it? "Chip, chip, chip," the Valkyries proverbially said as it leaned into isolating Atlanta defenders and cut the lead down to single digits.
But, Gray scored one of the biggest shots of her career with under a minute left to shut the door on a Valkyries' championship, and opened it – loudly – for the Dream's title hopes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dream turn up heat early to melt Valkyries in must-win WNBA Finals game
