Dream beat Valkyries 80-69 to force first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history as Allisha Gray hits five threes
Allisha Gray scored 23 and Atlanta led by 25 as the Dream levelled the WNBA Finals at 3-3. The first Game 7 in league history is in San Francisco on Saturday.
At a glance
- Atlanta won Game 6 by 80-69 on Thursday at State Farm Arena, tying the series 3-3 and forcing the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history.
- Allisha Gray scored 23 on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-7 from three, and held the Valkyries to 2-of-17 as the main defender.
- The Dream led 32-15 after one quarter and by as many as 25; Golden State cut it to eight in the fourth.
- Game 7 is on Saturday, October 31, in San Francisco.
The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6 on Thursday, levelling the WNBA Finals at 3-3 and forcing the first Game 7 in the league's history. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 23 points, sealing it with a corner three inside the final minute. The title will be decided on Saturday in San Francisco.
Atlanta were one defeat from losing the series. They came out playing like it, in front of a sold-out early-afternoon crowd at State Farm Arena.
How a 32-15 first quarter decided Game 6
The Dream scored 32 in the opening quarter, three days after managing only 55 in the whole of Game 5. Their ball movement was sharper and open shots fell, and they led by as many as 25.
Golden State did not fold. They outscored Atlanta by four in the third and five in the fourth, cutting the gap to eight before Gray's three ended it. Atlanta finished at 44% shooting, only the second time in this series that they have topped 40%.
| Quarter-by-quarter swing | Atlanta margin |
|---|---|
| First | +17 (32-15) |
| Second | +3 |
| Third | -4 |
| Fourth | -5 |
| Final | 80-69 |
Gray's hand, and the night it stopped mattering
Gray has played through the Finals with injured fingers on her left hand, which needed a minor procedure before the series and have affected her shot. For five games she looked for other ways to help. In Game 6 she shot 8 of 12 overall and 5 of 7 from three, and became only the second player to make at least five threes while facing elimination in the Finals. She added two steals and three blocks, and Golden State shot 2 of 17 with her as the primary defender.
Coach Karl Smesko said the two had spoken on Wednesday about what he needed from his leading scorer, and that she carried it out flawlessly. Gray said she felt she could go up another level on Saturday.
For Golden State, Gabby Williams scored 26 and Tiffany Hayes 15. Coach Natalie Nakase called the slow start "unacceptable". Williams and her teammates would not blame the 12:30 pm local tip-off. Point guard Veronica Burton took the positive view: unlike the heavy losses in Games 2 and 3, she said, this team did not quit.
The series so far
| Game | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State 68-64 |
| 2 | Atlanta 79-65 |
| 3 | Atlanta 97-71 |
| 4 | Golden State |
| 5 | Golden State (held Atlanta to 55) |
| 6 | Atlanta 80-69 |
| 7 | Saturday, San Francisco |
What is at stake on Saturday
Either club would be winning its first title. The Valkyries, only in their second season, have home court. The Dream have the momentum, and have shown in Games 2, 3 and 6 that they can pull away quickly when their shots fall.
"It is do-or-die, officially," Burton said. Game 7 comes on Saturday, October 31, with the winner taking the championship.
