Atlanta Dream even WNBA Finals 1-1 behind Angel Reese's 30 points
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Atlanta Dream beat Golden State Valkyries 79-65 in Game 2 to level the WNBA Finals at 1-1.
Game 3 moves to a sold-out 17,044-seat arena in Atlanta.
Background
The Atlanta Dream are a WNBA franchise playing in their fourth Finals; they were swept in their three previous trips (2010 vs. Seattle, 2011 and 2013 vs. Minnesota) and had lost all 10 Finals games before Game 2. This year's team posted a franchise-best 30-14 regular-season record and rode a franchise-best 10-game winning streak into the Finals. The Golden State Valkyries are in their first WNBA Finals. The series is level at 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Atlanta, where the league moved Games 3 and 4 to the larger State Farm Arena from the Dream's usual Gateway Center, which seats a league-low 3,500.
How it unfolded
- Oct 1, 2026Atlanta Dream advanced to the WNBA playoff semifinals with a win in Washington.
- Oct 4, 2026Angel Reese celebrated after a win over the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the second round at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
- Oct 14, 2026The WNBA announced Games 3 and 4 of the Finals would be moved to State Farm Arena so the Dream could play before a larger crowd than at Gateway Center.
- Oct 17, 2026Golden State won Game 1 of the Finals 68-64 at Chase Center in San Francisco; the Dream shot 2 for 19 and scored eight points in the fourth quarter.
- Oct 19, 2026The Dream beat the Valkyries 79-65 in Game 2 at Chase Center, evening the best-of-seven series at 1-1; Angel Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds and Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals.
- Oct 21, 2026Game 3 is scheduled at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, moved up to Wednesday because of a concert there Thursday; the game is sold out, and the Dream announced free 'All for Atlanta' watch parties across metro Atlanta.
- Oct 24, 2026Game 4 is scheduled at State Farm Arena with a 1 p.m. Saturday tipoff, the same day as the Hawks' home opener, which was moved to 8:30 p.m.
Who’s saying what
- Player
- Angel Reese said she let her team down in Game 1 and wanted to leave her mark in Game 2, adding 'It's just a start. We have the city behind us.'
- Coach
- Dream head coach Karl Smesko said he told Reese before the game 'I like this look' and called her performance on both ends 'just a superior performance.'
- Caution
- Smesko said after Game 1 that the Dream 'have to create better shots in this game.'
- Opponent
- Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said her team is 'looking forward to our best four quarters of defense,' and Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said Reese was 'way more aggressive' and 'we let everyone kind of have their way.'
Still unverified
It is not yet clear where the Dream will play Game 6, if the series extends there; league officials have not yet confirmed the full shooting breakdown or final box score statistics for the rest of Atlanta's roster, nor announced exact broadcast times or tipoff schedule as the series transitions to upcoming matchups.