In brief
Atlanta beat Golden State 97-71 on Wednesday, 21 October, and now leads the best-of-seven WNBA Finals 2-1.
Golden State missed its first eight shots and allowed Atlanta to shoot 49.3% from the field, after giving up only one other 97-point game this season.
Angel Reese scored 21 points with 12 rebounds, and Rhyne Howard had five steals, the first player in WNBA history with consecutive games of five or more steals.
Enes Kanter Freedom was denied entry to State Farm Arena after refusing to watch Game 3 from a private suite arranged for his safety.
- Early third quarterScore level at 48-48
- End of third quarterAtlanta leads by 14 points
- Late fourth quarterAtlanta lead reaches 21 points
Atlanta takes control in Game 3
Atlanta beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday, 21 October, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, moving to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Golden State had allowed as many points only once this season, in an overtime loss to Dallas in Game 2 of the first round. The Valkyries missed their first eight shots and never led, while Atlanta shot 49.3% from the field in front of a sellout crowd of 17,099.
- Angel Reese
- 21 points
- Rhyne Howard
- 16 points
- Gabby Williams
- 15 points
- Naz Hillmon
- 15 points
- Cecilia Zandalasini
- 13 points
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Angel Reese led the Dream with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and she added three steals. Rhyne Howard scored 16 points with four assists and four rebounds, and Naz Hillmon finished with 15. Reese, who is 24, became the youngest player in WNBA Finals history to record more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games. She is also the only woman to record consecutive double-doubles in her first three Finals games. Reese said the team was still upset about losing Game 1 and wanted to keep going.
“We know how good we are; we know our identity.”
Defense breaks down
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points but made only 5 of 18 shots from the field. Cecilia Zandalasini added 13 points, making four of six three-pointers, and Tiffany Hayes had 14. Janelle Salaun scored 13 off the bench. Veronica Burton, who averaged 12.2 points in the regular season, made only 1 of 7 shots. Hayes said the Valkyries had been outplayed in spirit by a team that wanted the game more.
“I think this game, they wanted it more than us, and that's not who we are.”
Coach Natalie Nakase described her team as undisciplined on defense. She said the players were not in their shifts consistently, were not communicating, and were late on certain rotations, which she called uncharacteristic.
Howard and the perimeter
Rhyne Howard had five steals after six in Game 2, making her the first player in WNBA history to record five or more steals in consecutive games. Howard said she had been tasked with making Williams's life hard by taking away her shots and passing lanes. She also attempted 10 free throws while taking only two three-pointers. Burton said the Valkyries had to take better care of the ball when Howard was around, especially in the gaps.
How the game turned
Atlanta led 22-12 at the end of the first quarter after Reese drained a three-pointer. Golden State cut the deficit to six points at half-time and drew level at 48-48 early in the third quarter. Atlanta answered with an 8-0 run and outscored Golden State 25-17 in the third quarter to lead by 14 heading into the final period. The lead reached 21 late in the fourth quarter.
Enes Kanter Freedom at the arena
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was denied entry to State Farm Arena after refusing to watch Game 3 from a private suite that the Dream and arena had arranged for his safety. Before the game, the arena issued a statement on the matter.
“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority.”
The arena said Freedom had contacted federal, state and local authorities, along with the WNBA, about his safety, and that state police had assigned an officer to him at his request. Video Freedom posted showed an arena official telling him he could enter only if he agreed to watch from the suite. Freedom said he wanted to sit in the seats he had bought, and later wrote on X that he had been kicked out of a WNBA game for the second time in a row. Freedom was ejected from an August game in Chicago after an exchange with guard Natasha Cloud and was later banned from the arena. Freedom and former NBA player Royce White have declared for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. A person familiar with the decision told the AP in August they are not eligible, and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has since made that position public.
What comes next
Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday, 24 October, in Atlanta. The Dream are back in the Finals for the first time since 2013, after three earlier trips without a title. The Valkyries are in their second season and are contending for the championship after becoming the first WNBA expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season. Both teams are chasing a first WNBA title.