Valkyries’ Nightmare Start Sends WNBA Finals to Game 7
Valkyries’ Nightmare Start Sends WNBA Finals to Game 7
Golden State arrived in Atlanta one victory from a title, but Draymond Green’s warning that “three wins is a long way from four” proved painfully apt. In Thursday’s Game 6, the Dream turned that final step into a wall.
The Valkyries surrendered 32 first-quarter points, fell behind by as many as 19 and never recovered in an 80-69 defeat that tied the WNBA Finals at 3-3. Atlanta hit 75% of its 3-pointers in the opening period and finished with 13 makes from deep, transforming an awkward 12:30 p.m. local tip into a raucous home celebration.
The early start — breakfast time by Bay Area body clocks — became an obvious postgame talking point. Golden State forward Gabby Williams rejected it as an excuse: “They played at the same time as us, right?” The Valkyries’ own numbers offered a more complicated case: they ultimately outrebounded Atlanta, reached the foul line more often and committed fewer turnovers, but the opening-quarter damage was already decisive.
Guard Veronica Burton focused instead on the response after the collapse. “We had a terrible first quarter. But we cleaned it up. We didn’t quit,” she said, contrasting the loss with earlier ugly performances. Coach Natalie Nakase was less forgiving, saying Atlanta played “like their life depends on it” and that Golden State failed to match that edge.
Now the series returns Saturday to Chase Center — Ballhalla to Valkyries supporters — for the first winner-take-all Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific, with USA Network, CNBC, Peacock and 95.7 The Game carrying the championship decider. The winner will claim its first WNBA title; Golden State gets the home stage it did not want to need, and Atlanta gets the momentum it fought to preserve.
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