The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.
By the numbers: Angel Reese finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, making her the youngest player in Finals history to record three straight double-doubles and joining A'ja Wilson as the only players with 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive Finals games.
- Rhyne Howard added 16 points, four assists and five steals, becoming the first player in league history with five steals in consecutive Finals games.
Zoom in: Atlanta shot a series-high 49.3% from the field and hit nine 3-pointers, its most of these Finals, in front of a sold-out 17,099 at State Farm Arena. Naz Hillmon added 15 points, DeWanna Bonner 12 off the bench and Jordin Canada 10 points with eight assists.
- "Y'all not taking this from us, and that's in my heart," Reese said. "I'm not letting you take this from us. I think that confidence becomes contagious within the team."
The other side: Golden State committed 17 turnovers that Atlanta converted into 22 points, after 18 turnovers in Game 2, and shot 34.8% from the floor. Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 15 points and Tiffany Hayes added 14 off the bench.
- "I think this game, they wanted it more than us, and that's not who we are," Hayes said. Of the turnovers she added: "A lot of us being undisciplined. Uncharacteristic of us."
Between the lines: It was only the third time in the 2026 playoffs that any team shot better than 45% from the field against Golden State, a side that leaned on its defense all postseason.
Why it matters: Atlanta sits two wins from the first WNBA championship in franchise history, and Reese is rewriting the Finals record book on the way there. Game 4 is in Atlanta.
