Angel Reese scores 30, grabs 16 rebounds as Dream beat Valkyries 79-65

Angel Reese delivered a dominant performance with 30 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Atlanta Dream to a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night in San Francisco. The win evened the best-of-seven championship series at 1-1, marking the Dream's first-ever Finals victory after previously going 0-10 across three prior championship-series appearances dating back to 2010.

Reese, the league's Defensive Player of the Year in her first season with the Dream after being traded from Chicago, shot 10-for-16 from the field while adding three assists and two blocks. She became only the third player in WNBA Finals history to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones (2019) and Breanna Stewart (2020). At 24 years and 166 days old, Reese is also the youngest player to reach 20 points and 10 rebounds in a Finals game. Her performance came after a subdued Game 1 where she scored 14 points but went scoreless in the second half, a result that left her determined to assert herself on Monday.

Atlanta's supporting cast and defense proved equally crucial. Allisha Gray added 18 points, Jordin Canada recorded 13 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Rhyne Howard set a WNBA Finals record with six steals. The Dream outscored Golden State 21-9 in the third quarter, establishing control from the midpoint onward. Atlanta converted 19 Golden State turnovers into 24 points and shot 30-of-35 from the foul line, a dramatic improvement from Game 1's defensive execution.

Golden State's offensive struggles continued from Game 1. Gabby Williams, who scored 26 points in the series opener, managed only 14 points on 3-of-15 shooting. Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton each added 14 and 11 points respectively. The Valkyries shot 34.4 percent from the field and 7-of-24 from three-point range, their second consecutive game of poor offensive efficiency. The loss ended Golden State's winning streak in regulation play, their first defeat in regulation since August 21.

The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday, with the next two contests scheduled for State Farm Arena rather than the Dream's regular home, Gateway Center Arena. State Farm Arena holds more than 17,000 compared to Gateway Center's capacity of 3,500, providing a significantly larger venue for the Dream's first Finals games at home. Golden State won all three regular-season matchups with Atlanta and secured Game 1, but now faces a different dynamic with the series moving to hostile territory and the Dream having found its offensive and defensive rhythm.