Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream had the crowd behind them and the momentum on their side, but the Golden State Valkyries had other plans. With the Finals series on the line, head coach Natalie Nakase made a small change to her starting lineup, bringing in Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes. The move paid off as Golden State pulled off a 67-62 win to tie the series at 2-2. But amid the Valkyries’ turnaround, a heated third-quarter exchange between Charles and Reese caught fans’ attention. The two went back and forth on the court, and as broadcasters pointed out, there was a connection between them that made the moment even more interesting.
“They’re going back and forth, they’ve got some things to say, and a lot of familiarity between these teams, these players,”the broadcasters said. “We’ve got Angel Reese, Kaila Charles, both from Maryland.”
Reese and Charles both played for the Maryland Terrapins, although Charles graduated just before Reese joined the program. Reese eventually left for LSU in 2022, meaning the two never shared the court at Maryland. The two did, however, play together in AAU for Team Takeover in Maryland.
So, as a veteran who had played alongside Reese, Charles helped the Valkyries finally contain the Dream forward after she dominated Games 2 and 3. But the 28-year-old guard took things a step further in the third quarter.
With 7:39 remaining in the period, Charles was called for a shooting foul, sending Jordin Canada to the free-throw line. And as players from both teams gathered near the lane before Canada’s attempts, Charles poked at Reese and grabbed her hand twice, prompting the 24-year-old to shrug her off as the two started trading words. They even continued jawing at each other while heading toward their respective benches, just as coach Nakase called a timeout.
Cameras also caught Angel Reese telling Charles, “You not like that,” as she made her way off the court.
This exchange provided one of the game’s most heated moments, but the bigger story for Atlanta was what happened on the scoreboard. After Reese had dominated Games 2 and 3, with a combined 51 points and 28 rebounds, Golden State finally found a defensive answer.
The Valkyries made Reese work for nearly every look, contesting her attempts and limiting the clean opportunities she had found in the previous two games. She did not get on the scoreboard until 6:15 remained in the second quarter, when she converted a six-foot hook shot off an assist from Rhyne Howard.
Reese finished the game with just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting, a considerable drop from the performances that had made her one of the leading contenders for Finals MVP.
“I think I rushed a lot of my shots, and I didn’t take my time and finish around the basket like I’ve been doing in the last three games,” Angel Reese said during her post-game interview. “It happens. I’m looking forward to the next game, and I’ll just be better.”
Still, limiting her scoring did not erase her overall impact. Reese also had nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three blocks, continuing to contribute defensively even as her offensive rhythm disappeared. However, with Atlanta relying heavily on her production throughout the series, Golden State’s ability to keep her in check proved crucial.
Nakase’s lineup adjustment gave the Valkyries a different look, and Charles’ physical defense helped set the tone against a player who had been difficult to contain.
Whatever Nakase had in mind when she brought Charles and Hayes into the starting lineup worked. The Valkyries secured a 67-62 victory to level the series and turn the Finals into a best-of-three battle from here on. The teams will now head to Chase Center, where Golden State will have home-court advantage in Game 5 as the championship race enters its decisive stretch.
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