Category: Atlanta Dream

The Golden State Valkyries celebrate their WNBA Championship after winning over the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Photo credits to Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – In just their second season, the Golden State Valkyries are the 2026 WNBA Champions. On Halloween night, things got real spooky in Ballhalla. The Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream returned to the Bay Area for one final WNBA Finals game. Game 7: the winner takes it all. Both teams are looking for their first franchise championship, but one of these teams must go home with the loss. So, with that being said, the Golden State Valkyries would beat the Atlanta Dream in game seven, at home, 68-63.

Game six of the WNBA Finals was in Atlanta, where the Dream would get the win, 80-69, to push a game seven Saturday. In the loss, the Valkyries’ Gabby Williams would lead the team with her 26 points. While Atlanta’s Alisha Gray would drop 23 points in their win. Atlanta would also go off and score 22 points in the 4th quarter alone.

Head coach Natalie Nakase knew the championship was on the line. So coach Nakase was not gonna risk it and put Tiffany Hayes in the starting lineup. Hayes has been a vital part of the Valkyries offense all year, and with one win away from becoming champions. Golden State was ready and wanting to strike first in this finale. As far as that, it would be the same starters with Gabby Williams, Kiah Stokes, Veronica Burton, and Kaila Charles.

Atlanta Dream wouldn’t change much to their starting lineup. Head coach Karl Smesko sent out Angel Reese, Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Naz Hillmon as the starting five. Atlanta is also looking for their first WNBA Championship with this win. In this series, Dream would win just one game in Chase Center, and that was game two of the WNBA Finals, 79-65.

Valkyries Veronica Burton wasted no time and wanted Golden State to strike first in this win-or-lose game. She would score the first basket of the evening with a floater inside, and then on the transition to defense. Kiah Stokes would get her first block of the night, and just get the fans to erupt in Chase Center. Then just one possession later, Stokes would make her presence felt and get two blocks in the first three minutes of the game.

Atlanta would miss their first eight shots to start the game, but that wouldn’t let their spirits down. After the first six minutes of the first quarter, Dream would get their first basket and then go on a quick 4-0 scoring run. The score after that would be 8-4, then Atlanta’s Alisha Gray would knock down a three-pointer, the first of the night, and cut the lead to one, 8-7.

At the end of the first quarter, Veronica Burton would still carry that energy and end the quarter by beating the buzzer with a floater. Burton would have 6 points, on 3-for-4 shooting, and with one block. Golden State would go the entire first quarter without making any three-pointers, and the score would be 14-12; the Valkyries hold the lead. Both of these teams are known for having great defense and take pride in it, and shows on these quarters in this series have been low.

In the second quarter, Dream would start it off by going on a 5-0 scoring run and retaking the lead. They would turn that 5-point run into a 9-point run while the Valkyries were starting to see some struggles with their shooting. Golden State would go almost six minutes without scoring a point, and Atlanta’s lead would go to 24-17. Valkyries Kayla Thornton would make the first three-pointer for the team. With the made shot, Golden State so far would be 1-for-11 from shooting beyond the arc.

At halftime, Atlanta would remain to hold the lead over Golden State at 30-24. Dream’s Jordin Canada would have 13 points and 3 rebounds. Angel Reese was also showing flashes of her game in this finale as she had 5 points and 7 rebounds. Valkyries’ Veronica Burton led the team in the first half with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

In the third quarter, Jordin Canada would start it off by making a three-pointer to set the tone for Atlanta as the game entered the final half before a champion was crowned. Halfway through the quarter, Atlanta’s lead would jump to 9 points, 37-28. Then, Gabby Williams would take over, with Kiah Stokes leading the charge by making a layup to cut the lead to 7 points. The Valkyries would erupt in the final four minutes and put up 21 points. Williams would put up 15 points alone in the third quarter, and by the end of it. The score was 45-44; the Valkyries held the lead by 1 point.

Going into the final quarter of the 2026 WNBA season. Everything was on the line for both of these teams as they’re just moments and within reach of getting their teams their first championship. Valkyries Tiffany Hayes would show off her aggressiveness and power her way to a layup and give the Valkyries a 3-point lead, 49-46. Then Williams would get fouled and make both of her free throws, and now Golden State is up by 5 points, 51-46.

Atlanta was showing off their perseverance and not giving up on this game. Dream’s Alisha Gray would make a fadeaway jump shot and tie the game, 53-53, with five minutes remaining. Then Rhyne Howard would foul Gabby Williams, and Williams would make both of the shots, 55-53. Williams would put all her effort on the court, as she went on a 9-0 scoring run by herself. With a minute left, Golden State had the lead, 62-57.

Thirty-four seconds left, Atlanta is down and on a Hail Mary shot. Allisha Gray would make a 23-foot three-pointer to cut the lead to 4 points, 64-60. However, with time not on their side and with the crowd screaming. Atlanta’s hope of winning was getting smaller. Eventually, Veronica Burton would get the final blow on the Atlanta Dream as she would get fouled on a shot and make both of the shots. With that, the final score of the game and the 2026 WNBA season would be 68-63.

Gabby Williams would be the 2026 WNBA Finals MVP. Williams has made history throughout the Finals; she led Golden State with 19.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.6 SPG. With 137 total points and 18 total steals, she set a new WNBA Finals record for the most points and steals in a single Finals series. In this game seven finale, she finishes with 30 points, 4 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals. So with that, the 2026 WNBA Champions are the Golden State Valkyries. They are now the fastest expansion team in league history to win a Championship.

Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) blocks a shot against Atlanta Dream’s Naz Hillmon (00) in the second quarter for Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (Photo credits to Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries returned to Ballhalla after beating the Atlanta Dream in game 4 of the WNBA Finals. With the series tied 2-2, Atlanta and Golden State met in game 5, each trying to take the series lead. However, the Valkyries would beat the Dream, 64-55, and Golden State is now just one win away from the franchise’s first-ever WNBA Championship in the team’s second year in the WNBA.

Atlanta Dream headed back to the Bay to face off against the Valkyries after losing game 4 at home. The Valkyries were able to get a win on the road and tied the series at 2-2. The Valkyries beat Dream, 67-62 in game 4 on Saturday, October 24th. Rhyne Howard led the team with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist. Even though the team lost, head coach Karl Smesko didn’t change his starters, so he sent out Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon, and Angel Reese to start game 5.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase didn’t change Golden State starters. Coach Nakase sent Kaila Charles, Tiffany Hayes, Kiah Stokes, Gabby Williams, and Veronica Burton to start game 5. Williams led the team in their Game 4 win with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Also, Valkyries Kiah Stokes made history in the WNBA Finals, with 16 rebounds and 3 blocks in the last game. She set the record for the most blocks in the finals.

Golden State’s Kiah Stokes got the game going with the first basket of the evening, with a made layup. Then Veronica Burton would keep the scoring going with another bucket in the paint. These first two buckets got the crowd and Ballhalla rocking early. The first quarter after this was all defense. Both teams were making it hard for each other to score. Both teams wouldn’t be able to get a three-pointer to go in until almost the last two minutes of the quarter.

Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton would make the team’s first three-pointer with two minutes left in the first quarter, after getting a hard foul from Angel Reese. Reese was trying to create space in the paint, and elbowed Thornton in the face. So, Thornton’s three-pointer would give the Valkyries the lead, but Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard would end the first quarter with a made three-pointer, Atlanta’s first three-pointer of the night. At the end of the first quarter, Atlanta leads Golden State, 14-13.

Going into the second quarter, it was both of the team’s lowest-scoring performances. Golden State would only drop 12 points, while Atlanta would only drop 8 points in the second quarter. However, at the start, Valkyries Veronica Burton would score the team’s first 5 points by herself. She would be the start of the team’s 9-2 scoring run, and the team went 4-of-5 on their first five shot attempts. After that, the Valkyries would miss nine shots in a row in a span of five minutes.

Both teams were struggling on their offense and shooting in the first half. However, the low-scoring performances from the teams were mainly due to both teams’ defense. These two teams were ranked the top two defensive teams in the WNBA. At halftime, Golden State would have the lead over Atlanta, 25-22. Burton would lead the Valkyries so far with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

The third quarter was the takeover and spark the Valkyries needed, especially playing back at home after playing the last two games of the series in Atlanta. Golden State would explode for 21 points alone in the 3rd quarter. In the first two minutes of the 3rd quarter, the Valkyries would go on a quick 7-0 scoring run, and this was the start of the Valkyries taking game 5 from Dream.

Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Atlanta would get the closest to tying the game with Golden State by being down by 3 points, 34-31. However, Kiah Stokes would take over and put up two blocks by herself in the 3rd quarter, and also drop 8 points alone. Her efforts and, at the buzzer to end the 3rd, Burton would be able to get a floater to go in before the buzzer and make the score 46-40. Golden State made sure that Atlanta would feel their defensive pressure in game 4, as the Valkyries would have 8 blocks as a team before the final quarter.

Going into the final ten minutes of the game, Golden State’s shooting would see a slight increase, but just enough to take over and start to hold a commanding lead over Atlanta. The Valkyries’ defense would hold the Dream’s shooting to 14-of-51 (27%). Although Atlanta wasn’t gonna just give up, especially with the series being the championship. Dream’s Jordin Canada would immediately score at the start and cut Valkyrie’s lead to four points, 46-42.

Right after Canada’s made basket, on Atlanta’s next offensive possession, Valkyrie’s Burton would get a block on Allisha Gray and set up Gabby Williams for a driving layup and get fouled. Williams would get a 3-point play and extend Golden State’s lead, 49-42. Then, Kiah Stokes wasn’t done for the night as she made her third three-pointer of the night and gave the Valkyries their largest lead of the night, 52-42.

At the halfway mark of the final quarter, Valkyries Cecilia Zandalasini would make a turnaround jump shot and push the lead to 12 points, 56-44. Then, in the final two minutes, Golden State was starting to enter victory formations while Atlanta’s dreams of winning game 5 were becoming just a dream. The score would be 60-46, Valkyries holding the lead. Then, in a final act of desperation, Atlanta would be able to make two back-to-back three-pointers in the last minute, 62-52.

However, the Valkyries’ lead was too big for Atlanta, and the clock was not on their side. Golden State would get the win in game 5 of the WNBA Finals. The Valkyries are now leading the series, 3-2, with the final score being 64-55. Kiah Stokes now has six straight games with 3+ blocks, tied with Lisa Leslie (2003) for the longest streak in a single postseason in WNBA playoff history. Also, Veronica Burton led the team with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. Burton’s four blocks tie Diana Taurasi (2009) as the most blocks by a guard in a WNBA Finals game. This was also her career high in blocks

With one more win for the Valkyries on becoming the 2026 WNBA Champions, they’ll head on the road for game 6 with possibilities of ending it in Atlanta. The Atlanta Dream are now playing the rest of the championship series with a “do-or-die” mentality. Game 6 of the WNBA Finals will be on Thursday, October 29th, at 9:30 a.m., and will be broadcast live on Peacock and USA Network.

SAN FRANCISCO – Atlanta Dream Angel Reese (#5) shows her excitement as the Atlanta Dream win Game 2 of the WNBA Finals in a WNBA basketball game at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA, on October 19th, 2026(Photo credit: Getty Images)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – Ballhalla welcomed and hosted Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. The Valkyries took Game 1 on Saturday afternoon, 68-64. But a new day, a new game, and Atlanta lived up to it as the Dream got their first win of the Finals on the road over Golden State, 79-65. This loss was the Valkyries’ first time at home in this postseason, while the win for Atlanta was their first-ever Finals win.

After getting Golden State’s first-ever win in the WNBA Finals. Head coach Natalie Nakase has a lot of pride and respect for her starters, so she didn’t wanna change any of that. Nakase started Kayla Thornton, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kiah Stokes, Gabby Williams, and Veronica Burton. Williams scored a game-high 26 points for Golden State to give them the 1-0 series lead.

Atlanta’s head coach Karl Smesko, in his second year coaching in the WNBA, wasn’t concerned about the Dream’s Game 1 loss to the Valkyries. Coach Smesko believes and knows his team can make their shots in Game 1 when it was crunch time, but Atlanta couldn’t get over Golden State’s defense. So Coach Smesko went with the same group for the starters: Naz Hillmon, Angel Reese, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada, and Rhyne Howard.

In the first quarter of the game, things were looking great for the Valkyries. Atlanta’s Angel Reese would get the game going with a made layup to have the Dream strike first in Ballhalla. Golden State’s Kaila Charles would sub in and, in just three minutes, would have 6 points after making two three-pointers for the Valkyries. At the end of the first quarter, Charles’ shooting off the bench helped give the Valkyries the lead, 21-18.

Heading into the second quarter, Atlanta was starting to build a rhythm, and they went with it. Especially with help from Angel Reese and Alisha Gray. Gray scored 8 points, and Reese scored 7 points by themselves. Gray also knocked down two big three-pointers for Atlanta, and their shooting gave the Dream the lead. Heading into halftime, the score was 39-37; the Valkyries were down by 2 points.

Coming back from halftime, the Valkyries were struggling in the third quarter. Golden State dropped 16 points in the second quarter, but came back in the third. The Valkyries were only able to score just 9 points. Atlanta took advantage of the Valkyries’ poor shooting and was able to extend their lead and play comfortably in Chase Center. Also, the Valkyries would foul the Dream seven times alone in the third quarter; they would finish with 23 fouls by the end of the game. Right before the end, Atlanta’s Jordin Canada would make a three-pointer at the logo to get her team hyped going into the final quarter of play.

In the final quarter, Atlanta’s lead was starting to get bigger over Golden State. Four minutes in, Dream got their largest lead in the night over the Valkyries by 21 points, 69-48. The Valkyries were having a hard time not fouling, and their shots weren’t going in for them. With under a minute left in the game, the Valkyries were down by 15 points. With time not on their side, the Valkyries were trying to move fast, but Jordin Canada got fouled with 40 seconds left and was able to put away Golden State for Atlanta.

The Atlanta Dream came back into Ballhalla and got the win in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. Atlanta was led by Angel Reese, who recorded a double-double: 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Reese’s performance helped Atlanta tie the series with Golden State. Valkyries will play Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta. Game 3 will be on October 21st at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC.

Golden State Valkyries Kaitlyn Chen makes a pass in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream in Chase Center on Saturday, October 17th, in San Francisco, CA. (Photo credit to GETTY Images)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries’ first-ever appearance in the WNBA Finals ends with a win over the Atlanta Dream, 68-64. After sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, the Valkyries will host the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. The finals require a team to win four games in this series, with Golden State taking the first game. The Valkyries are three more wins away from being the WNBA Champions.

Atlanta makes their way to San Francisco after sweeping the New York Liberty in game 3. So for the first time since 2013, the Atlanta Dream are in the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese led the team with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Also, with no Allisha Gray, DeWanna Bonner stepped up big for them with a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds.

With tip-off being in the afternoon, the Valkyries and the Dream were ready to get the WNBA Finals going. Returning from her injury with Atlanta, Allisha Gray would get the first basket of the day on a driving layup. The first quarter would be a slow quarter for the two teams. However, with this series being the championship series, both teams are trying to analyze one another and find gaps in the defense to score. Atlanta would have the lead over Golden State at the end of the 1st quarter, 22-14.

In the second quarter, it was all Golden State. The Valkyries exploded for a 28-point quarter to end the first half. That 28-point performance had a lot to do with Gabby Williams for Golden State. Three minutes into the second quarter, Williams had dropped 10 points by herself in that timeframe. Then right after that, Cecilia Zandalasini would go on and drop 5 points, by herself, and bring the score to 32-30, halfway through the second quarter. Right at the two-minute mark, Golden State would take the lead off of a made 3-pointer from Gabby Williams, 40-37.

At halftime, Golden State would hold the lead at 42-39 over Atlanta. Valkyries Gabby Williams would have 16 points altogether by the end of the first half. Williams has now become only the sixth player in WNBA Finals history to record 15+ points in a quarter. Angel Reese for Atlanta so far in this game has 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Starting the third quarter, Atlanta came out with new energy and a sharper focus. The score would see multiple ties and lead changes all the way to the final minute of the third quarter. Three minutes in the quarter, Rhyne Howard would do a spin, fadeaway shot and make it while falling to the ground. Her efforts gave Dream the lead back, 46-44. The biggest lead for Atlanta this quarter was 6 points, 50-44, with four and a half minutes left. The Valkyries saw some struggles in this quarter, scoring just 9 points altogether.

Going into the final quarter of Game 1 in the WNBA Finals, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard would get fouled, shoot, and make both of her free throws, extending the lead to 7 points, 58-51. Then Tiffany Hayes from Golden State would make a crucial 3-pointer from 26 feet to cut the lead to 58-55. Her shot got the Valkyries’ offense going and ultimately took over the game. The Valkyries would put up 17 points over Atlanta’s 8 points in the final quarter.

With two minutes and thirty-eight seconds left, Atlanta had the lead 64-61. However, Gabby Williams for Golden State would score the final six of the seven points of the game. She would finish the game with 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists to help Golden State take Game 1 and a 1-0 series lead. She also ties for the 4th most points by a player in the Finals debut in WNBA History.

The Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream are gonna have a one-day rest, as they get ready for Game 2 on Monday evening. The game will start at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC.