Valkyries Move Within One Win of WNBA Title After Game 5 Victory

Golden State takes control of WNBA Finals

The Golden State Valkyries stand one win away from a WNBA title in their second season. Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 on Monday night at Chase Center.

Kiah Stokes led Golden State with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. Stokes hit a big three pointer in the third quarter and added another late in the fourth. She has now blocked at least three shots in six straight playoff games, matching Lisa Leslie in 2003 for the longest streak in a single WNBA postseason.

Stokes spoke on the court after the game while fans chanted MVP. She smiled and said, "We appreciate you. We got one more."

Roster depth carries Valkyries past Dream

Leading scorer Gabby Williams struggled from the field, missing her first four attempts from deep. She still managed to finish with nine points and six rebounds, including a three point play in the fourth quarter that put Golden State ahead 49-42.

Veronica Burton scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Tiffany Hayes added 12 points after staying in the starting lineup alongside Kaila Charles. Head coach Natalie Nakase made that lineup change for Game 4, which Golden State won 67-62.

Angel Reese finished with seven points, 15 rebounds, and five assists for Atlanta. However, 17 turnovers plagued Atlanta and led to 21 points for Golden State. The teams went into halftime with Golden State leading 25-22, marking the lowest scoring first half in WNBA Finals history.

Game 6 set for Thursday afternoon in Atlanta

Atlanta will try to avoid elimination in Game 6 on Thursday at State Farm Arena. The league scheduled the game for 12:30 p.m. EDT in the 17,000 seat arena.

Dream head coach Karl Smesko expressed concern with the afternoon tip off time on a weekday. Smesko noted that many fans have jobs and will not be able to make it. He added that he hopes as many people can watch as possible and wished championship games could be treated like a national holiday.

If Atlanta forces a Game 7, the series will head back to San Francisco on Saturday.

What it means for the next game

Golden State Valkyries at Atlanta Dream (WNBA, Thu, 29 Oct): Atlanta Dream win 54%, Golden State Valkyries win 46%; projected score Atlanta Dream 75, Golden State Valkyries 72. Our safest pick: Valkyries +10.5.

Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries (WNBA, Sun, 01 Nov): Golden State Valkyries win 45%, Atlanta Dream win 55%; projected score Golden State Valkyries 75, Atlanta Dream 75. Our safest pick: Dream +6.5.