Dream rout Valkyries 97-71 to lead the WNBA Finals 2-1

Angel Reese scored the first basket of Game 3 on a feed from Rhyne Howard, and Golden State spent the rest of the night chasing. The Atlanta Dream beat the Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday at State Farm Arena and lead the WNBA Finals 2-1.

The Valkyries never led. They tied it twice early in the third quarter, at 48 and 49, and then Atlanta scored eight straight. The lead reached 26 in the last minute.

Reese had 21 points, 12 rebounds and three steals on 7-of-12 shooting. Howard scored 16 with five steals and made 7 of 10 free throws. Naz Hillmon scored 15 with three threes, and Isobel Borlase added 12 off the bench. Atlanta were plus-21 in her 26 minutes. Jordin Canada ran the offense with 10 points and eight assists. For Golden State, Tiffany Hayes scored 14 off the bench and Cecilia Zandalasini made four of six threes. The crowd was 17,099.

Two wins in a row

This is the series Golden State led after a 7-0 finish in Game 1. The Dream answered on Monday in San Francisco, where the Valkyries had been 5-0 in these playoffs, as our Game 2 preview noted. Atlanta won Game 2 79-65. Reese scored 30 with 16 rebounds, and the Dream held Golden State to nine points in the third quarter.

How Game 3 went

First half. Atlanta led 23-15 after one quarter and went on an 8-0 run midway through the second to lead 35-23. Golden State closed the half and opened the third with eight straight points, and it was 46-45 with 9:25 left in the third.

The third quarter. The Valkyries tied it at 48 and again at 49 with 7:45 left. Atlanta then scored eight in a row to lead 57-49 at 5:25 and won the quarter 25-17. It was 71-57 going into the fourth.

The fourth. Golden State got within 13 at 73-60 early in the quarter and no closer. Atlanta won the fourth 26-14.

What it means

Atlanta have now won consecutive games by 14 and 26 after losing the opener by four. In Game 3 the difference was inside and on the ball: the Dream outscored Golden State 44-20 in the paint, shot 34 of 69 to the Valkyries' 24 of 69, and turned it over eight times to Golden State's 15. Gabby Williams, who scored 26 in Game 1, had 15 on 5-of-18 shooting with eight assists. Golden State made 12 threes, more than Atlanta's nine, and still lost by 26.

Scoring

Scoring: Atlanta 97-71 Golden State (Game 3, Wednesday)

Atlanta: Angel Reese 21, Rhyne Howard 16, Naz Hillmon 15, Isobel Borlase 12, Jordin Canada 10, Allisha Gray 8, DeWanna Bonner 7, Sika Kone 5, Madina Okot 3, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 0, Te-Hina Paopao 0.

Golden State: Gabby Williams 15, Tiffany Hayes 14, Cecilia Zandalasini 13, Janelle Salaün 13, Aminata Gueye 6, Veronica Burton 3, Kaila Charles 3, Kiah Stokes 2, Kaitlyn Chen 2, Kayla Thornton 0, Laeticia Amihere 0, Juste Jocyte 0.

By quarter: Atlanta 23, 23, 25, 26. Golden State 15, 25, 17, 14.

What is next

Game 4 is in Atlanta on Saturday, October 24, at 1 p.m. ET. Game 5 is in San Francisco on Monday, October 26. Atlanta are two wins from the title.

Update: the Game 4 preview, with the Dream 4-0 at home in the playoffs.