After sleepwalking through Games 4 and 5, Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream refused to be eliminated from the WNBA Finals before forcing a Game 7. In front of a celebrity-studded sellout crowd at State Farm Arena, the Atlanta Dream defeated the red-hot Golden State Valkyries 80-69. Usher was in attendance as well as the cast of the popular “A Different World” reboot and a host of NBA and WNBA stars such as Alyssa Thomas.
Entering today’s Game 6, the Atlanta Dream were shooting under 40.0% on effective field goal percentage (eFG%) as a team. Specifically, their overall series eFG% stood at a low 40.8%. And Reese had connected on just 4-of-20 shots in those two losses. The team shot over 50 percent in the first half and finished at 43.5 percent for the game. Reese’s shooting was inconsistent, but she battled with 15 points, 14 boards and six assists to complement Rhyne Howard’s 21 points and Allisha Gray’s team-leading 23.
“We set the tone early,” Reese said in an interview on the court after the game. “We appreciate the fan support, so we wanted to make sure we won this right here.”
Reese lauded the performance of her scoring leaders. “They are great shooters, they put the work in, both are MVP-caliber players, and we don’t win without them.”
Reese is looking forward to the first Game 7 WNBA Finals in league history.
“Championship mentality,” Reese mentioned, as the key to closing it out on the road on Halloween. “We wanted to get this one. The job is not done and I’m looking forward to it. One more.”
Reese was 5 of 18 from the field, but she did hit two threes. Her long range game has been a winning formula for the Dream as one fan mentioned.
“Angel Reese hitting threes is becoming a winning formula! 16-0 when she connects from deep,” the fan said, citing a stat that shows Reese’s value from the outside.
Angel Reese and Atlanta Dream Defense Was The Key To Game 6 WNBA Win
If ever there was a career-defining moment it was Thursday afternoon’s game. With 7:19 seconds left in the third quarter and the Dream up 51-28, Valkyrie guard Veronica Burton received a flagrant foul 1 for hitting Rhyne Howard in the head on the way to the basket.
It was a frustration foul that expressed what the Valkyries were feeling after being shut down to that point on 26 percent shooting as a team. Reese was only 2-for-11 at that point, but she had five assists and 10 boards to help her team to the huge lead.
Despite her poor shooting, her teammates, especially Howard, had it going, as did backcourt mate Allisha Gray. Still visibly upset by the lack of foul calls, all Reese could do was play D and keep the energy going until the shots started falling or the refs cut her some slack. Reese was key in helping to quash a late third-quarter rally by the Valkyries.
ATL Barbie got her offense on track, hitting a driving layup and then adding a free throw at the end of the third quarter to push the Dream past the 60-point mark as they led 63-47 entering the fourth. The three points also cemented another double-double for Reese.
The Valkyries are a game squad, but you could pretty much put Game 6 in the books at that point. The Dream and Valkyries are the top two defensive teams in the WNBA. Atlanta led the WNBA in fourth-quarter points (23.8) while allowing the second-fewest fourth-quarter points (20.4) and holding the top fourth-quarter scoring margin in the league at +3.32.
The Valkyries cut the game to under double digits late, but Reese’s dime to Gray on a corner three-point shot that put Atlanta up 80-69 with about 50 seconds left was the finisher.
