Stokes' stellar Game 5 puts Valkyries on brink of clinching WNBA title vs. Dream — SkimNews
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- Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 on Monday, taking a 3-2 WNBA Finals lead and putting themselves one win from a championship they can clinch Thursday in Atlanta or Saturday in San Francisco.
- Atlanta Dream managed only 29.2% shooting, the fourth-lowest team percentage in a WNBA Finals game, while Golden State forced 17 turnovers, scored 21 points off them and held Atlanta to 18 paint points.
- Kiah Stokes anchored the defense: Atlanta shot 9-for-48, including 0-for-8 from three, when Stokes contested shots, and she recorded at least three blocks in six straight games, tying Lisa Leslie’s WNBA playoff single-season streak.
- Angel Reese scored seven points after totaling 51 in Games 2 and 3, with her consecutive single-digit games representing only the second such stretch in her career.
- Kiah Stokes scored a season-high 13 points, including three three-pointers that matched or exceeded her total in six of her 11 WNBA seasons, as Golden State’s 64 points were the fewest in a Finals victory since 2005.
- Karl Smesko praised Stokes’ length, instincts and rim protection, while saying Atlanta needed to get her moving and make it harder for her to pack the paint; he credited her Game 5 shooting as big for Golden State.
- Natalie Nakase said Stokes “will be our MVP” if the Valkyries win the championship as Ballhalla fans chanted her name, and Veronica Burton added, “We’re not here without Kiah.”
Why it matters: Golden State is one win from the title, and Stokes has supplied the matchup Atlanta has not solved: Atlanta shot 9-for-48 and 0-for-8 from three when she contested, while Angel Reese has scored in single digits in consecutive games. That defensive influence is central to the 3-2 lead entering Thursday’s Game 6, where a win would clinch the championship.
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