10/26/2026 09:21:00
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10/26 21:18 CDT Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 to take a
3-2 lead in the WNBA Finals
Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 to take a 3-2 lead in the
WNBA Finals
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 to
take a 3-2 lead in the WNBA Finals.
THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP's earlier story is below.
Natalie Nakase saw it in her team's much-improved body language --- shoulders
back and head ups. Golden State's huddle got tighter as the close-knit
Valkyries came together.
The second-year coach believes much of that had to do with her own better
messaging and delivery for a Game 4 win at Atlanta that evened the
best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 2-2 going back to the Bay Area.
Point guard Veronica Burton believes everyone could see it, because it's tough
not to notice player's head down or visible disappointment with a missed shot
--- and that all of that can be just as contagious as a positive swing in a
game.
"You guys probably can even see it on court. You pick up on it. You see when
your teammate's head is down, you see when maybe someone's not as engaged after
missing a shot," Burton said before Game 5. "It's little things like that that
can trickle down to someone else and seep into each other. So it's all of us,
it's not just one person. When things don't go our way, how do we respond and
how do we react? All of that matters."
Golden State hopes to continue that positive momentum as it takes on Angel
Reese and Atlanta again in Game 5 with support from the hostile, noisy
"Ballhalla" crowd at Chase Center.
Dream coach Karl Smesko realizes how hard it is for Reese to dominate every
game against the Valkyries and their stingy defense. She did it here in winning
Game 2 to salvage a split on Golden State's home floor.
Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds in last Monday's 79-65 victory that evened
the series.
"I think you'll see an energized Angel. I think she'll play great today,"
Smesko said. "In the games that we won she had historically great performances.
That's not easy to do every game against a tremendous defense like Golden
State."
The Valkyries changed up their lineup for Game 4 with Nakase inserting Tiffany
Hayes and Kaila Charles into the starting five --- and she stayed with those
two Monday night.
And if you ask any of them, who starts the game isn't an issue. Nakase is
challenging herself to make sure everyone is ready to contribute.
"It's on me to get them to play with a sense of fight that they play connected
and I thought they did a great job in Game 4," Nakase said, before adding: "Our
team is our strength. We've said strength in numbers. Anyone can close, anyone
can start, anyone can come off the bench, anyone can finish the game. It's just
so valuable that we can change our rotations, we can change our lineups, that's
what's kind of dangerous about our team. It's hard to scout when you have so
many options, and so that's what I love."
Earlier Monday, the league announced Game 6 would be played at 17,000-seat
State Farm Arena in Atlanta starting at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
"I'd like to see it be a national holiday for all WNBA championship games so
whatever somebody can do," Smesko said. "I hope everybody gets to see it
somehow and I know that for some people it's not realistic, they have jobs and
won't be able to make it. So I'm disappointed for that but I'm really hopeful
that as many people can see the game as possible."
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