Reese Gala with 30 points: Dream even up WNBA Finals against Valkyries

TVS News KI redaktionell betreut präsentiert Reese-Gala mit 30 Punkten: Dream gleicht WNBA-Finals gegen Valkyries aus.

When your team loses the first game of a Finals series and then has to play on the road, you need an answer. Angel Reese provided it — and how. 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal: The reigning Defensive Player of the Year took over Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center and led the Atlanta Dream to a clear 79:65 road win over the Golden State Valkyries. Reese was the defining figure at both ends of the floor on this night — and at 24 years old, set a record that only five players before her had reached.

The third quarter broke the game

What the final score doesn't tell: The first half was tight. After a back-and-forth, it stood at 39:37 for Atlanta at halftime — neither team had been able to pull away. Then came the third quarter, and with it the break.

Atlanta opened the second half with a 21:9 run that tipped things in one direction, from which Golden State never recovered. The final note was set by Jordin Canada with a halfcourt heave in the final seconds of the quarter, which buried what was already a desolate mood at Chase Center once and for all. Golden State remained in single-digit scoring during the third quarter and finished the game with a total of 19 turnovers, from which Atlanta scored 24 points. "The defense kept us in the game in the first half, but the offensive problems were too much in the end," reporter Sabreena Merchant summed up for The Athletic.

Reese makes history — at 24

The 30-point gala wasn't just a game-high — it was a historic outing. Per WNBA PR, Reese is the sixth player in postseason history to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game, after Lisa Leslie, Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker and A'ja Wilson. And she is the youngest to ever do it.

Reese distributed her load evenly: 15 points in each half, plus 9 of 11 free throws made. In Game 1 on Saturday, she had not attempted a single field goal in the second half — that imbalance was gone at Chase Center. "She just came out on a mission tonight," top-scoring guard Allisha Gray said about her after the game. Gray herself contributed 18 points, Canada added 13 — so Reese finally got the support she had lacked in Game 1.

For Golden State, the counterpart to Reese's gala was Gabby Williams, who had carried Game 1 with 26 points, collapsed to 14 points on 3 of 15 from the field. Tiffany Hayes also had 14. The Valkyries remained below 70 points for the second game in a row — after 68 in the opening win, now 65, and this time with noticeably less urgency after falling behind by 15 or more.

Atlanta's first Finals win — after ten straight losses

What this gala means for Atlanta beyond Reese weighs heavy. The 79:65 win is the first WNBA Finals victory in franchise history — after three previous appearances (2010, 2011, 2013) in which Atlanta was swept each time. With the equalizer, the team also ended a WNBA record of ten consecutive Finals losses — longer than any other team in the history of the WNBA or NBA Finals.

Both teams are chasing their first title. Golden State had become the first WNBA expansion team ever to make the playoffs last year and is now in the Finals in its second season. Atlanta had begun this path three times unsuccessfully and has been waiting since 2013 for a return to this round — this time it's supposed to end differently.

What changes for the rest of the series

With the road win, Atlanta takes not only the 1:1 tie but also home-court advantage for the next two games. Game 3 takes place on Wednesday, October 21, at 8 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Game 4 on Friday. After that, it would go back to San Francisco if necessary.

The Athletic model, which rates playoff fields via Elo, sees Atlanta at a 52 percent title chance after this night — before the game, it was still 30 percent. The team improved its postseason record to 6:1, Golden State slipped to 6:2.

For you, that means: This series is open, Atlanta has absorbed the first setback and holds home court as leverage. The question that remains: Does Golden State's offense find its way back, or does Reese's defense continue to sit on its neck? Three games, anything is possible.