WNBA Recap & Results | October 29, 2026
Atlanta is not done, and the first Game 7 in WNBA history is on. The Dream beat Golden State 80-69 at State Farm Arena on Thursday, turning a 32-15 first quarter into a lead that reached 25 and holding on as the Valkyries chipped away, to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday in San Francisco. Allisha Gray led the way with 23 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting, Rhyne Howard added 21, and Atlanta made 13 of 30 threes after going 4-of-23 and 6-of-26 in the last two games. Golden State, one win from its first championship, shot 31.4%, and Kiah Stokes, the story of Games 4 and 5, did not score. Here's how it went down, and where the series stands.
Dream Force the First Game 7 in WNBA History
Golden State Valkyries 69, Atlanta Dream 80
Atlanta did not wait to answer the biggest question of the series, which was whether its offense still existed. The Dream opened with an early 13-0 run, led 32-15 after one quarter, which is more than half of what they scored in all of Game 5, and went into the break up 46-26. Gray was the engine, making five of her seven threes, and Atlanta shot 43.5% overall after shooting 33.3% and 29.2% in the last two games.
Atlanta's lead reached as many as 25, and from there it was a question of how much of the cushion Golden State could take back. The Valkyries outscored the Dream 21-17 in the third and 22-17 in the fourth, getting to the line 21 times and making 18, and they ran 10 fast-break points to Atlanta's four, with 10 steals. That cut it to 11, but a team that had won three games on defense could not find enough offense to finish the climb. Golden State shot 31.4%, made 7 of 27 threes, and had eight shots blocked. Final: 80-69, the series is tied 3-3.
Gray was the headliner with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 86.3% true shooting, plus three blocks and two steals. Howard scored 21 with four threes and went 5-of-5 at the line before fouling out. Angel Reese shot 5-of-18, but still grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out six assists, though she turned it over six times. Jordin Canada shot 4-of-13 for 10 points, and the Atlanta bench scored four, so this was a starters' game.
Gabby Williams had 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting with seven free throws and three steals, but she turned it over three times and finished minus-15, and everyone else on the roster shot 14-of-48. Tiffany Hayes had 15 on 6-of-10, though she committed three turnovers and five fouls. Veronica Burton went 2-of-13 for eight points and was called for a flagrant foul, Cecilia Zandalasini shot 3-of-12, and Stokes, scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting with seven rebounds, had a team-worst minus-25. Laeticia Amihere had 10 rebounds. Atlanta is now 3-12 all time in Finals games and 3-3 in this series.
ATL 80 · GSV 69
Game 7.
Atlanta's 32-point first quarter was more than half of its entire Game 5 output, and the Dream made 13 threes after making 10 combined in Games 4 and 5. Kiah Stokes, who had 13 points in Game 5, was scoreless and a minus-25. Game 7 is Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT at Chase Center, the first in WNBA history.
Star of the Night: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
23 points | 8-of-12 FG | 5-of-7 from three | 6 rebounds | 3 blocks | 86.3% TS
Gray set the tone with five threes and 23 points as Atlanta took control in the first quarter and kept it. Howard's 21 points and Williams's 26 in defeat both made cases, but Gray's efficiency in an elimination game gives her the edge.
Dud of the Night: Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
8 points | 2-of-13 FG | 15.4% field goal percentage | 0-of-6 from three | 4 assists | 3 steals | 27.1% TS
Burton took 13 shots and made two, missed all six of her threes, and was called for a flagrant foul in a game Golden State could have clinched, finishing minus-14. Reese's 5-of-18 with six turnovers and Zandalasini's 3-of-12 were in the conversation, but Burton's night was the emptiest.
Where the Finals Stand
WNBA Finals, best-of-seven: tied 3-3. Game 7 is Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. CT at Chase Center in San Francisco, the first Game 7 in WNBA history. Neither franchise has won a championship, so a first-time champion is guaranteed.
