Angel Reese proves she's on another level as Atlata Dream even WNBA Finals

Angel Reese delivered one of the greatest performances in WNBA Finals history, exploding for 30 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Monday night, evening the best-of-seven championship series at 1-1.

Allisha Gray added 18 points, while Jordin Canada recorded a near triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. On the defensive end, Rhyne Howard set a new WNBA Finals record with six steals as Atlanta overwhelmed Golden State after halftime.

The win was historic for the Dream, marking the franchise's first-ever WNBA Finals victory after losing its previous 10 Finals games across three appearances. Atlanta now heads home with momentum after stealing a split in front of Golden State's sold-out "Ballhalla" crowd at Chase Center.

“This environment is tough to play in. Shoutout to the fans. Shoutout my team, though,” Reese said. “We came and fought. Game 1 was tough for us, but we moved on.”

Reese also entered elite company, becoming just 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).

“She was definitely way more aggressive. She had a great game,” Valkyries center Kiah Stokes admitted. “We let everyone kind of have their way.”

Game 3 shifts to Atlanta on Wednesday, where the next two Finals games will be played at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Hawks, allowing more than 17,000 fans to attend instead of the Dream's usual 3,500-seat venue.

Golden State never found its rhythm offensively. Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 14 points, but shot just 3-for-15 after scoring 26 in Game 1. As a team, the Valkyries shot 34.4% from the field and 7-of-24 from beyond the arc.

“We shot terribly,” guard Veronica Burton said. “We missed shots that we make all the time.”

After being held scoreless in the second half of Game 1, Reese responded with a dominant all-around performance, shooting 10-for-16 from the field while adding three assists and two blocks.

“We watched film and saw the things that we messed up on,” Reese said. “When I said they didn’t do anything to mess us up, it was literally just us. You could see that tonight. We’re going to carry that over to Atlanta. Atlanta, y’all better pull up—I’m looking forward to it.”

Atlanta's defense proved to be the difference, forcing 19 turnovers and converting them into 24 points, a dramatic improvement from the eight points off turnovers the Dream managed in Game 1. The victory also handed the Valkyries their first regulation loss since Aug. 21, snapping one of the league's hottest streaks at the biggest stage.