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Dream Even Series with Valkyries in Game 2
· Confirmed
In Short: The Atlanta Dream evened the WNBA Finals series with a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2.
The Atlanta Dream evened the WNBA Finals series with a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2, according to reports from Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Sportsnet.ca (Canada). Both outlets agreed that the Dream's Angel Reese and Jordin Canada were key contributors, with Reese scoring 30 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, and Canada contributing 13 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that the Dream's defense stifled the Valkyries in the second half, while Sportsnet.ca (Canada) highlighted Reese's aggressive play from the start, noting her hard-fought layup after messy turnovers early in the game.
NBC News (United States) and Presstelegram (United States) also reported on the game, with NBC News noting that the Dream's defense was particularly effective in the second half, while Presstelegram quoted Valkyries center Kiah Stokes saying, "She was definitely way more aggressive, she had a great game."
The Valkyries' Gabby Williams, quoted by Mercurynews (United States), admitted that their defense was "atrocious tonight," while Reese, quoted by Ajc (United States), said, "Unfortunately, we had kind of one bad defensive quarter where we had a few breakdowns, and then one bad offensive quarter in the fourth where we turned it over and didn’t have the kind of shot quality that we wanted, but I’m really proud of our team’s effort."
According to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Atlantanewsfirst (United States), the Dream's Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals, while Jordin Canada's triple-double performance made her the third player in Finals history to achieve such a feat.
The game took place at Chase Center, which holds 18,064 and has sold out every game since the Valkyries began playing last year, as reported by Atlantanewsfirst (United States) and NBC Los Angeles (United States).
The Dream's victory was their first in the Finals, and they are now tied with the Valkyries at one game apiece, as noted by BBC (United Kingdom) and CBS Sports (United States).
Golden State Valkyries governor Joe Lacob revealed that he helped influence the decision to move the first two Atlanta Dream home games of the 2026 WNBA Finals from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena, according to Bleacherreport (United States).
The WNBA Finals have been marked by significant on-court and off-court developments, with both teams seeking their first championship, as reported by ESPN (United States) and CBS Sports (United States).
The Dream's Angel Reese, who is the youngest player in WNBA Finals history to record a 20-point, 10-rebound game and a 30-point, 15-rebound game, according to StatMuse, was a standout performer, as noted by Newsweek (United States) and Sportsnet.ca (Canada).
The Valkyries' Gabby Williams, who led the team in scoring in Game 1, struggled in Game 2, as reported by Complex (United States) and Thesource (United States).
The Dream's head coach, Walt Hopkins, noted the urgency of the moment, stating, "I just think we have to create better shots in this game," as quoted by FOX 5 Atlanta (United States).
Background
The Atlanta Dream evened the WNBA Finals series with a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2.
The WNBA Finals begin with the Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese and the Golden State Valkyries' Gabby Williams leading their teams.
What's confirmed
- The Dream dropped Game 1 68-64 on Saturday afternoon at Chase Center.
- “This environment is tough to play in. Shoutout to the fans. Shoutout to my team, though,” Reese said after the game.
- Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals, while Jordin Canada contributed 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Dream earned the franchise’s first Finals victory after going winless in three previous trips.
- Reese became the third player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones of Connecticut in 2019 and Breanna Stewart of Seattle in 2020.
- It holds more than 17,000, as opposed to the Dream’s regular home, Gateway Center Arena, which accommodates only 3,500.
- Chase Center holds 18,064 and has sold out every game since the Valkyries began playing last year.
- “She was definitely way more aggressive, she had a great game,” Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said.
- The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx will host the No. 8 New York Liberty in a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, the No. 2 Valkyries will host the No. 7 Dallas Wings, the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces will begin their title defense against the No. 6 Indiana Fever, and the No. 4 Atlanta Dream will welcome the No. 5 Washington Mystics to town.
- Atlanta Dream are making their first appearance in the WNBA Finals since 2013, while Golden State Valkyries are making their debut after playing their first season in 2025 Atlanta Dream won their first ever game in the WNBA Finals as they beat the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 to level the series at 1-1.
What's still developing
- The Valkyries and their fans never gave the Dream any room to get comfortable.
- The 2026 WNBA season has been groundbreaking, on and off the court.
- SAN FRANCISCO – The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries were off the court for the national anthem before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night, repeating their Game 1 absences despite a provision in the league’s own rulebook calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.
- Reese scored 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds, joining Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones as the only three players in league history to record such a stat line in a Finals game.
- The four-time All-Star's off-balance corner 3 for a 93-93 tie with 4.1 seconds left in Game 2 was followed by Gabby Williams getting called for an offensive foul on the inbound play after a Golden State timeout.
- But after losing to the Indiana Fever, 96-77, Minnesota backed in when the Valkyries lost to the Portland Fire later in the evening.
- "I don't think they really did anything, maybe that was just on me," Reese told reporters after the defeat.