Angel Reese, Dream Blow Past Valkyries 97-71 to Seize 2-1 WNBA Finals Lead

The Atlanta Dream routed the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night, turning a tied series into a 2-1 Atlanta advantage with the most lopsided result of the championship round so far. A sellout crowd of 17,099 at State Farm Arena, the Atlanta Hawks' home arena pressed into service for the Finals because the Dream's regular home seats only 3,500, watched Atlanta pull away in the third quarter and never let Golden State back into the game.

Angel Reese led the Dream with 21 points and 12 rebounds, her third straight double-double of the series. Rhyne Howard added 16 points, five steals and four assists, Naz Hillmon scored 15, DeWanna Bonner contributed 12 off the bench and Jordin Canada finished with 10 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. For the Valkyries, Gabby Williams scored 15, Tiffany Hayes added 14 off the bench, and Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaün each had 13.

A tight game that broke open in the third

Atlanta led 23-15 after the first quarter but saw that advantage shrink to 46-40 by halftime. Golden State tied the game at 49-49 early in the third quarter before the Dream answered with a 12-2 run and never trailed again, eventually pushing the margin to 17 points in the fourth. Atlanta shot 49.3 percent from the field, its best mark of the series, and made nine three-pointers, also a series high. Golden State shot just 34.8 percent and committed 17 turnovers, which Atlanta converted into 22 points — continuing a pattern from Game 2, when the Valkyries also turned the ball over 18 times.

The result matched the series' home-court pattern through three games: Golden State won Game 1 at Chase Center 68-64, Atlanta evened things with a 79-65 win in Game 2, and the Dream then took control at home in Game 3. Atlanta is 2-0 in the Finals in Atlanta's building since the series shifted there, and the Dream, in just their second trip to the WNBA Finals, are two wins from the franchise's first championship.

Howard's record night and a veteran core delivering

Howard's five steals made her the first player in WNBA history to record five or more steals in consecutive Finals games, after also recording five in Game 2. Reese, at 23, became the youngest player in Finals history to post three consecutive double-doubles, joining Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson as the only players to post at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in back-to-back Finals games. The win leaned heavily on Atlanta's bench as well: Bonner's 12 points were part of a reserve unit that significantly outproduced Golden State's.

For the Valkyries, an expansion franchise playing in its first WNBA Finals in just its second season of existence, the loss represented their first truly one-sided defeat of the postseason. Golden State had reached the Finals as the fastest expansion team in WNBA history to do so, but its offense, which had carried the team through the playoffs, went cold against Atlanta's defense for a full 40 minutes.

"The will is there, the want to is there, but the fight together, I'm missing," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after the loss.

What's next

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at State Farm Arena, again a sellout, with Atlanta in position to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Should the series extend past Saturday, it would shift back to the Bay Area for Game 5, since Golden State's Game 1 win guaranteed the Valkyries at least one more home date under the Finals' 2-2-1-1-1 format. A win in Game 4 would put the Dream one victory from their first championship in franchise history; a loss would send the series back West with Golden State needing to win three of the final three games.

• Series: Atlanta leads 2-1
• Game 4: Saturday, State Farm Arena, Atlanta (sold out)
• Game 5 (if necessary): back in San Francisco next week