The Atlanta Dream shot 29.2% from the field in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night, and the Golden State Valkyries beat them 64-55 at Chase Center to take a 3-2 series lead.
Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton scored 13 points apiece for Golden State. Stokes went 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and finished with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Burton added 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks in 37 minutes.
Golden State, in its second season, is one win from the first championship in franchise history.
Golden State Takes Control in a Defensive Grind
The Valkyries led 25-22 at halftime, the lowest combined first-half score in WNBA Finals history, according to The Associated Press.
The teams went 5-of-29 from 3-point range before the break, and Atlanta scored 8 points in the second quarter.
Atlanta's only lead came on a Rhyne Howard 3-pointer with 21.5 seconds left in the first quarter, which put the Dream up 14-13.
Burton opened the second quarter with a turnaround jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions. Golden State never trailed again.
Howard scored 11 of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter, and Atlanta pulled within 34-31 with 4:59 left in the period.
With 2:45 left in the quarter, Stokes hit a 3-pointer for a 41-36 lead. That shot started a 14-6 run.
Gabby Williams converted a three-point play with 9:08 left in the game for a 49-42 lead. Stokes ended the run with another 3-pointer at the 7:21 mark, and the Valkyries led 52-42.
Williams finished with 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting, along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
Tiffany Hayes, who played 10 seasons for Atlanta, made 4 free throws in the final 2:17. The last two put Golden State up 62-46 with 1:46 remaining, its largest lead of the night.
Hayes finished with 12 points. Cecilia Zandalasini also scored 12, on 5-of-10 shooting, and Golden State had four players in double figures.
Atlanta's Offense Never Finds a Rhythm
The Dream closed the game on a 9-2 run.
Jordin Canada scored 8 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 6 rebounds and 5 assists on 5-of-16 shooting. Allisha Gray added 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Atlanta finished 19-of-65 from the field and 6-of-26 from 3-point range.
Dream coach Karl Smesko said Atlanta gets fewer good shots when a possession involves a lot of dribbling and the ball sticks in one spot.
“I thought we came out with great intensity,” Smesko said. “Defensively, we were really locked in. Rebounding, we did a really good job. We forced a lot of tough shots. We just didn’t get as many good looks, especially in transition, as we’d want. When we did work and get open shots, we shot a really poor percentage.
“We got better shooters than that, and we just got to be ready to knock down these shots when they become available,” Smesko continued. “Give Golden State a lot of credit. They’re a great defensive team. But we’re going to have to execute offensively better and knock down shots when we get them.”
The Dream won the glass 44-33, including 12-5 on the offensive end, and outscored Golden State 19-6 in second-chance points. The Valkyries held a 26-18 edge in the paint.
Angel Reese grabbed 15 of those rebounds and added 7 points and 5 assists on 2-of-8 shooting. She has more than 60 rebounds in the series, which makes her the second player to reach 60 in a single WNBA Finals, according to postgame notes. Sylvia Fowles had 75 in the 2017 Finals.
Naz Hillmon grabbed 11 rebounds, a playoff career high.
The 55 points were the fewest by a Finals team since Phoenix in 2021, according to the same notes.
Valkyries Defense Keeps Setting Records
One game after committing 18 turnovers in Game 4, the Dream committed 17 on Monday.
Golden State scored 21 points off them. The Valkyries turned it over 9 times and gave up 6 points off those mistakes.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase believes defense wins championships.
“Just ball pressure,” Nakase said. “That’s kind of been who we are, is that we have such very aggressive physical players, two-way players more specifically, our whole starters and bench. They could just be active, whether it’s with their feet, their hands.
“And so, just taking that extra level, when we talk about playing our defense, our best defense now, but just take it up a level,” Nakase added. “And I thought that’s what they did. So just credit again. A lot of that doesn’t happen if they don’t take care of their bodies. So we have true pros that can lay it all out on the line when the game starts.”
Golden State blocked 9 shots, giving it 37 in the series. No team has blocked more in a single Finals series, according to postgame notes.
Howard went 7-of-15 from the field after scoring 19 points in the Game 4 loss in Atlanta.
Howard said her looks come when the Dream set good screens and make quick decisions.
“I just hit more shots tonight than I have in the past,” Howard said. “There’s not anybody on the team who hasn’t poured into me. Everybody’s been keeping each other confident. I think for me personally, I just can read the game. When we set good screens, when we move the ball with pace, when we’re making quick decisions, it allows for easier and open shots. I think I just knocked them down today more than what I have in the past.”
Golden State won Game 1 68-64 at Chase Center on Oct. 17. Atlanta won Game 2 79-65 two days later, then won Game 3 97-71 at State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.
The Valkyries evened the series with a 67-62 win in Atlanta on Saturday after Nakase moved Hayes and Kaila Charles into the starting lineup. Both started again Monday.
Game 6 tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 29, at State Farm Arena on USA Network and Peacock.
The Atlanta Hawks moved their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers to 8 p.m. ET that night to make room.
If Atlanta wins, Game 7 is Saturday, Oct. 31, at Chase Center.