Valkyries bounce-back or more Dream dominance? It's winner-take-all in Game 7 of WNBA Finals — SkimNews
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- Chase Center hosts the WNBA’s first Finals Game 7 at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, with the No. 2-seed Golden State Valkyries facing the No. 4-seed Atlanta Dream, each seeking a first championship.
- Atlanta Dream won Game 6 80-69 on Thursday, scoring 46 points in the first half and holding a 20-point lead at the break; the result evened the series at 3-3.
- Golden State Valkyries forced 10 second-half turnovers and outscored Atlanta by six over the final 30 minutes after trailing by as much as 25 and pulling within eight.
- Allisha Gray scored 23 in Game 6 after totaling 15 in the Games 4 and 5 losses; Atlanta’s three victories all featured 70-plus scoring, while all three defeats came below 70.
- Kiah Stokes logged 20 minutes in Game 6 as Natalie Nakase gave Laeticia Amihere her first meaningful minutes since Game 1, while Angel Reese finished with 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting and six assists.
- Rhyne Howard has scored in double figures in all but one game and combined for 41 points on 13-of-26 shooting in the two games before Game 6; Gabby Williams also reached double figures in all but one.
- WNBA history favors the host in long Finals: the home team won six of eight best-of-five series that went the distance, while Golden State is 2-1 at Chase Center and Atlanta won one of three there.
Why it matters: Game 6 exposed the central tension: Golden State forced 10 second-half turnovers and outscored Atlanta by six over the final 30 minutes after trailing by as much as 25. With the series tied 3-3 and both clubs seeking their first championship, Saturday’s winner takes the title and the other club remains without one.
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