Golden State beats Atlanta to tie WNBA finals at two games each

Gabby Williams scored 17 points and Golden State played strong defense to defeat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday, tying the WNBA finals at two games apiece.

Game Action

Atlanta cut a 16-point halftime deficit down to 61-55 midway through the fourth quarter in front of a sellout crowd of over 17,000 fans. Golden State answered when Veronica Burton hit a three-pointer. Atlanta later scored seven of the next nine points, capped by a three-point play from Rhyne Howard with 28 seconds left to pull within 66-62. Burton made one of two free throws right after, and Atlanta failed to score on their final possession. Howard finished with 19 points for Atlanta, who shot just 33.3 percent overall and four for 23 from three-point range.

Defensive Effort

Golden State kept Atlanta star Angel Reese to only eight points after she averaged 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in the previous two games. Reese missed 10 of her 12 shots, including several layups in the fourth quarter. Kiah Stokes blocked three shots, bringing her WNBA finals record to 14 blocks across four games and breaking the previous record of 12 held by Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles. Stokes also grabbed eight offensive rebounds as part of her 16 total boards.

Lineup Changes

Golden State coach Natalie Nakase changed the starting lineup by putting in Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles for Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini. The adjustments sparked an 18-6 run to close the first half, giving the Valkyries a 42-26 lead at the break, which was the largest deficit the Dream faced all playoffs.

Context

The best-of-seven series now heads back to California for Game 5 on Monday. Broadcasters for the games include NBC, USA Network, and CNBC in the US, Sky Sports in the UK, and WNBA League Pass in Australia.