On Saturday, in their first WNBA Finals game in franchise history, the Golden State Valkyries collected their first Finals win. And on Monday, in their 11th WNBA Finals game in franchise history, the Atlanta Dream collected their first Finals win. And unlike in Saturday’s series opener, Game 2 of the best-of-seven series wasn’t close at all, as the Dream used a thoroughly dominant third quarter to turn a tense game into a blowout.
Even though the series is young, we’ve grown accustomed to it being
a defensive slugfest already. That’s no surprise after both teams finished in the top three in defensive rating this year, while accounting for six of the 10 All-Defense selections. And so it was only fitting that the Valkyries forced a turnover on the Dream’s first possession, only for Atlanta to force a turnover on Golden State’s first possession. And then, just as fittingly, the team’s stars — Angel Reese for the Dream and Gabby Williams for the Valkyries — dropped in buckets, reminding us that good offense beats good defense, even with the league’s staunchest defenses.
Golden State was executing well early, and as a result, Ballhalla was popping in the first. There was a little bit more offense than in the early going of Game 1, and it was tied 10-10 halfway through the opening frame. The bench came up big for Golden State, led by two threes from Kaila Charles, but Reese was making her presence felt on both sides of the ball, with star plays abounding. But the Valkyries’ well-rounded effort was enough for a lead after the opening 10 minutes, as Kaitlyn Chen sunk a clutch layup in the final seconds to give them a 21-18 advantage.
The Dream were not fazed, and started the second quarter in spirited fashion, quickly retaking the lead. As it was at the end of the first quarter, it was a group effort for the Valkyries, while Reese — who finished seventh in MVP voting this season, while beating out Williams for Defensive Player of the Year — was the full game plan for the Dream. But star talent matters, especially in the playoffs, so it wasn’t a detriment that Atlanta was dependent on an individual; instead, it was a sign of how great Reese is. And while the Dream were dependent on Reese for the big plays, it was a total team effort on the defensive end, where they were holding Golden State to bad looks, and the Valkyries were going ice cold. After the Valks took a six-point lead, the Dream exploded for a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Golden State stormed right back to tie it, but the Dream ended the half with a big bucket, and led 39-37 at the break.
It seemed at that point that we were in for a tense and dramatic second half, but Atlanta had other plans. The Valkyries turned the ball over on the first possession of the third quarter, and that proved emblematic of what awaited in the rest of the frame. After the teams went back-and-forth early on in the quarter, while things got increasingly physical, the Dream started to take over. Golden State’s defense was incredible, but Atlanta’s was even better. And while the Dream had Reese to break a strong defensive front, the Valkyries had no such answer.
Atlanta scored eight consecutive points in the frame, turning a razor-thin contest into a comfortable lead. Veronica Burton eventually stopped the burst, and it briefly seemed like that might shift the momentum, but no. The Dream were utterly unfazed, and just kept pouring on the points, finally having found a way to break through against Golden State’s defense.
Finally, Jordin Canada delivered what felt like a fatal blow: with three seconds left, she stole the ball from Burton, and as the buzzer rang, she sunk a half-court shot. It capped a 15-2 run to end the quarter, and gave Atlanta a 60-46 lead going into the fourth. The Dream had outscored the Valkyries 21-9 in the quarter, with Reese matching Golden State’s offensive output in the frame. Atlanta had shot 10 free throws while Golden State hadn’t gotten to the line once, highlighting the difference in aggression and defense.
The Dream scored the first four points of the final quarter, pushing the run to 19-2 and the lead to 18 points, before Tiffany Hayes finally stopped the bleeding. But by then it was too little, too late. Atlanta quickly pushed the lead into the 20s, and in a game defined by defense, it simply wasn’t realistic to expect a team to overcome a 20-point deficit, let alone in a single quarter. Golden State trailed by 17 at the halfway mark, and while they made a few pushes throughout the final quarter, Atlanta always had a response, and never let the Valkyries feel like they were actually back in the game, carrying a big lead to the final buzzer, where the score read 79-65.
It was the Angel Reese show, as Atlanta’s superstar finished with a stunning line of 30 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks, while shooting 10-for-16 from the field. After getting outplayed by Williams in Game 1, Reese thoroughly won the matchup in Game 2, as Golden State’s top player was held to 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting, though she did have four steals. Canada was also dominant for Atlanta, as she finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists, while Allisha Gray had 18 points and five boards.
Hayes matched Williams with a co-team high 14 points, while Kiah Stokes had a brilliant defensive game in which she registered four blocked shots and 11 rebounds, and didn’t attempt a single shot.
But the area where Atlanta won? Converting defense into offense. The Dream forced 18 turnovers while committing 14, but turned those turnovers into 24 points, while the Valkyries turned them into just 13. And most damning? Atlanta had 19 fastbreak points, while Golden State had zero. Hard to win a game like that.
The best-of-seven series is now tied at one game apiece, and it heads to Atlanta. Game 3 is on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. PT on USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock.
