WNBA: Dream need answers to level the final against Golden State
The Dream play Game 2 of the final overnight from Monday to Tuesday, at 1 am in Brazzaville. Beaten 68–64 in the opener, Atlanta above all must avoid another offensive stall in the closing minutes.
Contribution SNA · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 2 min 43 s
Five points ahead going into the final quarter, four behind at the final buzzer: Atlanta has already seen how a final can turn without the score ever running away. Ahead of the second meeting at the Chase Center, the Dream's problem is a concrete one. They must hold on to the options that had put them up 56–51 after thirty minutes.
Finishing possessions
Atlanta scored only eight points in the final quarter of Game 1, against seventeen for Golden State. The Dream therefore lost their lead by scoring fewer than ten points over the last ten minutes.
Allisha Gray contributed 19 points and Angel Reese 14 points with 12 rebounds. It was not enough. Game 2 will show whether Atlanta can find more options when the Valkyries' defence tightens.
Rebounding is the other battleground. Golden State won that fight 41–35, including ten boards from Kaila Charles off the bench. For Atlanta, securing the ball after an opposition miss can spare them from having to defend another possession. It will be an indicator to watch, without assuming it will decide the result on its own.
Golden State can improve too
The Valkyries won without dominating on offence: their shooting stopped at 32.1%, with seven three-pointers from thirty-three attempts. Gabby Williams, who scored 26 points, was the only player on their side to reach ten points. Their lead in the series therefore does not settle the question of how the offensive load is shared.
Kiah Stokes finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Along with Charles, she provided valuable support in a tight game. More evenly spread production would give Golden State other options if Atlanta limit Williams; that is a question for the next game, not an announced rotation.
Golden State lead 1–0 and will look to stretch that to 2–0 at home; Atlanta can still leave with the series level. The players' final availability remains to be confirmed before the game.
File photo: Allisha Gray with Atlanta against Minnesota, 17 July 2024. © John McClellan / John Mac — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and SNA logo added; adapted under the same licence. This image does not show action from the final.
