WNBA Recap | October 19, 2026
Atlanta finally has a Finals win, and every point of the margin came at the free throw line. After going 0-10 in Finals games across 2010, 2011, 2013, and a Game 1 loss on Saturday, the Dream beat Golden State 79-65 at Chase Center behind Angel Reese, who answered the one question about her game with 30 points and 16 rebounds. Atlanta closed the third quarter on a 15-2 run, both teams made 21 field goals and seven threes, and the Dream made 30 free throws to Golden State's 16. The series is tied 1-1. Here's how it went down, the card graded, and where the series stands heading to Atlanta.
Reese Scores 30, Atlanta Lives at the Line, and the Finals Are Even
Atlanta Dream 79, Golden State Valkyries 65
Golden State's bench set the tone. Kaila Charles made a pair of threes and Kaitlyn Chen scored just before the buzzer to put the Valkyries up 21-18 after one, and in the second quarter Gabby Williams, who could not find the basket all night, found the free throw line instead, making seven in a row to stretch it to 31-27. Then Atlanta answered with a 10-0 run of its own, with a Reese free throw and layup, a Jordin Canada basket, two Isobel Borlase free throws, and an Allisha Gray pull-up that put the Dream up 37-33. Tiffany Hayes tied it with back-to-back drives, and DeWanna Bonner's 18-footer with 2.5 seconds left sent Atlanta into the half up 39-37. For a half, it was exactly the one-possession game our number had in mind.
The third quarter is the one Golden State will want back. Veronica Burton's three early in the period gave the Valkyries a 40-39 lead, and it was the last lead they would hold. They tied it at 42 and got within 45-44 with under four minutes to go, and then the baskets dried up. Atlanta closed the quarter on a 15-2 run, living at the line, getting a layup from Reese off a Rhyne Howard assist, and finishing with Canada banking in a 32-footer at the buzzer to make it 60-46. Golden State made four field goals and scored nine points in the quarter. The Dream won it 21-9.
The fourth quarter was a formality. Atlanta pushed the lead to 21, Golden State never got closer than 14 after that, and Reese, who scored nothing in the second half of Game 1, closed out her answer with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 9-of-11 at the line, and 16 rebounds, including a three late that pushed the lead back to 19 after Golden State made a brief push. Around her, Canada ran the offense with 13 points and 10 assists, Gray added 18 with three threes, and Howard scored just five but made six steals in a defense that took the ball away 14 times, turned Golden State's 19 turnovers into 24 points, and ran 19 fast-break points to the Valkyries' none. Final: 79-65, the series is tied 1-1.
If you want the whole story, it is a short one. Both teams made 21 field goals and seven threes, and both shot about 34% (34.4% for Golden State, 33.9% for Atlanta), which means each side scored exactly 49 points before free throws. Atlanta then made 30 of 35 at the line to Golden State's 16 of 19, and that 14-point gap is the exact margin of the game. Williams's night shows how it went for Golden State: 3-of-15 from the floor, 14 points, all seven free throws made. Hayes also scored 14, Burton had 11, Charles had nine on three threes, and Kiah Stokes did not score but grabbed 11 rebounds with four blocks. Swept in 2010, 2011, and 2013, and beaten in Game 1 on Saturday, Atlanta had been 0-10 all time in Finals games. It is now 1-10.
ATL 79 · GSV 65
THE CARD, GRADED · ATL @ GSV · Game 2
Side: Golden State -2.5 (Toss-up) · closing GSV -1.5 · Atlanta won by 14, 15.5 points past the number · missed
Total: Under 151.5 (Strong) · closing 152.5 · 144 points, 8.5 under the number · cleared
Our number had this as a two-point game, and it was for a half. The 15-2 close to the third quarter is what a toss-up looks like when it lands on the wrong side. The total was the stronger call, driven by the number, and 144 between two teams shooting 34 percent cleared it with room to spare, even with 54 free throws.
THE RECORD · WNBA PLAYOFFS
Side 12-6 · 67% of 18 · early · Total 10-8 · 56% of 18 · early · through Finals Game 2, October 19
This slate: side 0-1, total 1-0 (2 leans).
Every card is graded against the closing number. The full ledger, by tier and by game, is on The Record.
What's Next
The series is tied 1-1 and moves to Atlanta. Game 3 is Wednesday, October 21 at State Farm Arena, 8:00 PM ET, with Game 4 there on Saturday. Our series call was Golden State in six; the Valkyries now need to take one on the road to keep that alive. The preview and the card will be up before tip.