The Atlanta Dream refused to let their season end on a Thursday afternoon, powering past the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 at a sold-out State Farm Arena to even the 2026 WNBA Finals at 3-3 and force the first Game 7 in Finals history.
Facing elimination after Golden State’s 64-55 Game 5 win, Atlanta delivered a statement performance behind hot three-point shooting and balanced scoring. Allisha Gray led the way with 23 points on efficient 8-of-12 shooting, including five threes, while adding five rebounds, two steals, and three blocks. StatMuse noted she became the first guard in WNBA Finals history to post that combination of numbers in a single game.
Rhyne Howard, who had struggled earlier in the series, exploded for 21 points with four threes. Angel Reese contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordin Canada added 10 points as the Dream put four players in double figures.
Atlanta seized control immediately. The Dream scored 32 points in the first quarter—the most by either team in a Finals quarter this series—fueled by six threes, and led 32-15 after one period. They carried a 20-point advantage into halftime at 46-26, the largest halftime margin of the series. Golden State clawed back somewhat in the second half (outscoring Atlanta 22-17 in the fourth), but never fully erased the early deficit. The Valkyries finished with Gabby Williams scoring 26 points and Tiffany Hayes adding 15.
The win came under unusual circumstances. The game tipped at 12:30 p.m. ET at the larger State Farm Arena (capacity around 17,000) rather than the Dream’s smaller regular home, Gateway Center Arena, to accommodate a later Atlanta Hawks NBA game that night. Both teams and the league prioritized the bigger venue and atmosphere despite the early start, which drew criticism for viewership but produced a sellout crowd that energized the home team.
Team-wide, Atlanta shot 43.5% from the field (27-of-62) and a strong 43.3% from three (13-of-30), with 35 rebounds, 19 assists, six steals, and eight blocks. The early offensive explosion—contrasting sharply with their low-scoring output in Games 4 and 5—allowed them to dictate the tempo against a Valkyries squad that has thrived on defense throughout the series.
The series now shifts back to Chase Center in San Francisco for Game 7 on Saturday, October 31, at 8 p.m. ET. Golden State, in just its second season as an expansion franchise, will host with a chance to claim the franchise’s first championship. Atlanta, seeking its own first title after previous Finals sweeps in 2010, 2011, and 2013, has new life and home-court momentum from the Game 6 victory.
Both teams enter with strong defensive identities that defined much of the series. The Dream’s ability to finally match that intensity with efficient perimeter shooting in an elimination game proved decisive. With everything on the line in Game 7, the first winner-take-all Finals game in league history will decide which squad earns the 2026 championship.