Veronica Burton had 3 of the Golden State Valkyries’ 19 turnovers Monday night in a 79-65 loss to the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center, a result that evened the WNBA Finals at 1-1.
Those turnovers were worth 24 points to Atlanta. The Dream also had 19 fast-break points, while Golden State didn’t record any.
The giveaways came from all over the roster. Burton, Gabby Williams, Tiffany Hayes, and Cecilia Zandalasini had 3 apiece. Kaila Charles and Kiah Stokes each had 2, and Kaitlyn Chen and Janelle Salaün had 1 each. The Valkyries were also called for a shot-clock violation in the first quarter.
Burton said Golden State got plenty of good looks it didn’t finish, and a missed layup could turn into an Atlanta 3-pointer before anyone picked their head up.
“I think we were just a little too loose with the ball,” Burton said. “Obviously that’s what they are known for and we are known for the opposite. It starts with me. Like I can’t just be throwing the ball. That’s one of the most important things is taking care of it.”
“I think being organized, being on the same page, and on the fast break, not getting too sped up and being decisive,” Burton continued. “A lot of times we were hesitant or not on the same page and that’s what led to turnovers. Starts with me, we’ll clean that up and that’s what we’ll do.”
Burton Says Turnovers Dictated Game 2
Burton’s 26-foot 3-pointer off a Williams pass put Golden State ahead 40-39 with 9:31 left in the third quarter. By the 8:36 mark, Williams had thrown two passes that Rhyne Howard stole, and Burton had thrown one that Allisha Gray picked off.
Golden State finished the third quarter with 8 turnovers, 9 points, and no free-throw attempts. The Valkyries shot 4-of-15 in the period and were outscored 18-4 over its final 5:40.
The Valkyries needed to take a punch and punch back in that stretch, and Burton didn’t think they did.
“Just turnovers,” Burton explained. “I genuinely believe that dictated the entire game, when they can get more looks than we do. And then they outhustled us on some plays and they made more energy plays and that’s what we hang our hats on. We can’t let that happen, especially not in the Finals.”
“Execution, again, we also shot terribly,” Burton added. “We missed shots that we make all the time. That happens and that’s where we have to lock in on the defensive end and make it way more difficult, but it’s a series for a reason.”
Golden State’s Identity Took a Hit
Burton finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. She shot 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Three of her 5 fouls came in the first 3:54 of the fourth quarter.
Golden State shot 21-of-61 as a team. Williams went 3-of-15, two days after scoring 26 in the Valkyries’ 68-64 win in Game 1, and Zandalasini went 1-of-8.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said Atlanta played harder and sat in the gaps better than Golden State, which she calls a defensive-minded team.
“That’s frustrating, right,” Nakase said. “That’s been part of our identity, is because our identity is defense, we hang our hats on that end. So just kind of, like I said, I need to have some conversations. I need to listen within the next 48 hours to see like how did I not deliver my message about our game plan, our fight, our physicality. Like today we were trying to make sure we were going to give our best fight tonight.”
“So just unfortunate and definitely going to ask questions,” Nakase continued.
Golden State had 8 turnovers in the first half, which Atlanta turned into 10 points. The other 11 came after halftime and were worth 14 more to the Dream.
The Valkyries had 8 steals to Atlanta’s 14. Burton had 2 of them, both on Jordin Canada passes in the first half. The Dream committed 14 turnovers of their own, and Golden State scored 13 points off them.
Monday’s loss was Golden State’s first at Chase Center in the 2026 playoffs. The Valkyries are 6-2 this postseason.
Game 3 tips off Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena, the building Atlanta moved its Finals home games into this month.