WNBA Finals: Atlanta Dream beat Golden State Valkyries to force decider
Atlanta Dream win Game 6 against Golden State Valkyries to keep series alive and send WNBA Finals to deciding game this weekend; watch Game 7 of the WNBA Finals from Golden State at 1am on Sunday live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 29/10/26 9:15pm
Atlanta Dream ensured the WNBA Finals would reach Game 7 for the first time in history as they beat Golden State Valkyries 80-69 to set up a decider.
Allisha Gray posted 23 points while Rhyne Howard had 21 as the Dream recovered from back-to-back defeats in Games 4 and 5.
Angel Reese chipped in with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double for Atlanta, who welcomed a near full-capacity crowd for what had been a 12.30pm tip-off local time.
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"You could definitely tell we got our swagger back. First, shout out to the crowd. Being able to come here 12.30pm on a Thursday and so many things going on in the world from school to work, to everything else, we're just super thankful," said Reese.
"We fed off their energy, they were loud from the beginning so we're definitely thankful for that. We wanted to make sure we maximised this opportunity. They just want to go home right now.
"Everybody left everything they had out there and that what was important to us. We knew shots were going to fall, we knew it was coming, we'd put so much work in. I'm just really proud of our team for responding the way we did."
The Dream led by as many as 25 points at one stage before Golden State fought back to pull within 77-66 with two minutes remaining. Gabby Williams led the way for the Valkyries with 26 points, along with 15 in support from Tiffany Hayes.
Atlanta led 46-26 at half-time having asserted their dominance with a 13-0 run and seen their opponents manage just nine of 34 from the field in the opening two quarters.
"They scored 32 points in the first quarter, that's unacceptable on our end," said Golden State guard Veronica Burton.
"Just got to play better defense. They were hitting good shots and getting good looks. We were spread out a little bit. We cleaned it up in other quarters defensively, but we can't let that happen. There needs to be a sense of urgency, it's the WNBA finals."
Game 7 takes place in Golden State from 1am on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
