SAN FRANCISCO -- Game 1 goes to the Golden State Valkyries.
The No. 2 seed held court 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to take the early lead over the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream in the best-of-seven series.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 26 points, including four free throws in the final 1:18 to seal the victory. The back-and-forth game featured seven lead changes.
Allisha Gray paced the Dream with 19 points but didn’t score in the fourth quarter when the Dream shot 2-for-20 in the period. Angel Reese had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Valkyries, who have won all five playoff games at home this postseason and had the best record at home in the regular season, snapped the Dream’s 10-game winning streak, which dated to the regular season.
Both teams seek their first WNBA championship. Game 2 is Monday night back at Chase Center. As the better seed, the Valkyries will host Games 2 and, if necessary, 5 and 7 in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
ESPN was courtside Saturday with live analysis throughout the game.
(2) Golden State Valkyries 68,(4) Atlanta Dream 64
How Golden State won the game: Both teams made big runs in this game, which set up a fourth quarter that was all about grit and determination. And also timing. After being outscored 17-9 in the third quarter, the Valkyries outscored the Dream 17-8 in the fourth quarter.
The Dream went just 4-of-25 from 3-point range, with Allisha Gray going 1-of-8. They were 18-of-21 from the foul line, but that was an area where the Valkyries were able to make up ground in the fourth quarter, finishing 11-of-16 from the stripe.
Getting into crunch time, Atlanta seemed to get a little too sped up offensively and took shots too early when it would have helped the Dream to work their offense more. Of course, that’s easier said than done against the best defense in the WNBA.
Rebounding ended up being a key factor, as the Valkyries won the board battle 41-35. And Golden State’s depth -- much talked about before the series began -- came through. Particularly with Kaila Charles, who played 30 minutes, compiling seven points and 10 rebounds.
Gabby Williams led the way with 26 points, the only Valkyries player in double figures. -- Michael Voepel
What the win means for the Valkyries: They won their first Finals game in their first WNBA Finals appearance. Even when the Dream went on runs, the Valkyries never deviated from their game plan -- and it never felt like they fully lost momentum. Maybe that’s also a credit to the noise in Ballhalla.
This game showed an elite level of composure from the Valkyries, and that is a great sign for Golden State. Gabby Williams said that even though the Valkyries trailed with a few minutes left in the game, they had the Dream “right where we wanted them.” She said it’s because they knew the game would come down to stops.
“That’s our bread and butter,” Williams added.
If the Valkyries can withstand the Dream’s offensive runs and then lock them up on defense, they have a good chance to head to Atlanta with a 2-0 lead. -- Kendra Andrews
What changes do you expect in Game 2? The Dream must win a game on the road if they want to win the title, so winning Game 1 would have given them more of a cushion moving forward. Now, Game 2 feels like a must-win at Chase Center before the series shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4.
Dream coach Karl Smesko sounded confident in his team’s ability to turn things around in Game 2. He said Saturday’s game didn’t come down to what Golden State did, but rather the Dream’s loss was the result of one bad defensive stretch and a cold offensive quarter in the fourth.
Still, when the Dream punched first in the opening quarter, they led by only eight points at the end of the period. For Atlanta to even the series Monday, the Dream have to make sure they are executing. They also need more from Angel Reese, who dominated early but was held scoreless in the second half, and Rhyne Howard, who finished with 12 points but shot 3-for-14 from the field and 2-for-9 from 3-point range. -- Andrews