Gabby Williams comes up clutch as Valkyries 'find a way' in Game 1 — SkimNews
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- Gabby Williams scored a game-high 26 points and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, including the final two with 4.1 seconds left, to seal the Golden State Valkyries' 68-64 comeback win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
- Golden State closed on a 7-0 run after Atlanta went 0-for-7 from the field over the final 2:53, with five of those misses coming from beyond the arc.
- Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said the late-game composure "fits into who we are," as Golden State relied on its No. 1-ranked defense despite leading for just 6:04 of the entire game and only 100 seconds of the second half.
- Dream coach Karl Smesko said Atlanta had "a couple good looks" that simply didn't fall, but conceded his team "fell into too much 1-on-1 play" in the second half and didn't get Angel Reese enough touches — adding the close loss "motivates us."
- Allisha Gray, playing for the first time since injuring her ring finger on her shooting hand in the semifinals, led Atlanta with 19 points, while Rhyne Howard went 3-for-14 from the field for her 12.
- Both teams shot below 33.0% from the field — just the second time that has happened in a Finals game — and Golden State scored 17 points off 12 Atlanta turnovers.
Why it matters: Atlanta went 0-for-7 down the stretch and Smesko already conceded the Dream got away from feeding Reese, meaning Game 2 becomes a concrete adjustment test before the series tilts further toward Golden State's defense-first identity, which held the league's No. 1 unit intact even when its offense sputtered.
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