The Atlanta Dream routed the Golden State Valkyries on their home court, 79-65, in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night, evening the best-of-seven series at 1-1. Angel Reese was practically unstoppable with 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and even a 3-pointer for good measure.
Allisha Gray added 18 points and five rebounds, while Jordin Canada had 13 points and 10 assists for Atlanta, including a half-court buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter. And while Rhyne Howard's offensive struggles continued, she set a WNBA Finals record for steals with six.
It was a tight first half, but the Dream ended up running away with it in the second to seal their first WNBA Finals win in franchise history. The series will now head to Atlanta for the next two games, beginning with Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Here are the winners and losers from Monday night:
Winner: Angel Reese
Reese had one of the best box scores in WNBA Finals history
There truly is just nowhere else to start. Reese came out hot in Game 1 with 11 points in the first quarter, but only had three points the remainder of the game. Before tipoff, she vowed to be more aggressive in Game 2, and she certainly followed through.
In the first half, she was 6 of 9 (66.7%) for 15 points, seven boards, one assist and one block. In the second half? She was 4 of 7 (57.1%) for 15 points, nine boards, two assists, one steal, one block and a 3-pointer.
Reese became just the third player to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Breanna Stewart (2020) and Jonquel Jones (2019).
"I think I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half, and not even just about scoring, my screen quality, me hustling and wanting to get rebounds, and just doing the things that they know me to do," Reese said, referring to her performance Saturday night. "So I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark and did whatever I could to get the win."
Loser: The Valkyries' third quarter
Golden State's home crowd was taken out of the game in the second half
This game was a nail-biter until midway through the third quarter, with 13 ties and 14 lead changes. But then the Dream ended the third quarter on an 18-4 run that all but silenced the notoriously raucous Ballhalla crowd in San Francisco -- especially when it bled into a 9-2 run to start the fourth.
In the third quarter, the Valkyries were 4 of 15 (26.7%) from the field and 1 of 6 (16.7%) from outside for just nine points. But the real killer was that they had eight turnovers, compared to just three for the Dream. They were out-hustled and out-played at every turn.
While Reese had nine points in this crucial frame, the only Valkyries starter to score at all in the third was Veronica Burton, who had five points. Gabby Williams only got up one shot in the entire quarter and missed it. Meanwhile, she had two turnovers. While there was still technically time to make a comeback in the fourth, Golden State just simply couldn't recover.
Loser: The Atlanta Dream's Finals winless streak
The Dream finally have a Finals win after 10 straight losses
Going into this series, both teams were winless in the WNBA Finals. But while the Valkyries' lack of Finals success was understandable given the team is only two years old, the Dream's Finals history is much more traumatic.
The Dream joined the WNBA as an expansion team in 2008, and from 2010-2013 made the WNBA Finals in three out of four seasons. However, the Dream were swept in all three Finals appearances, and entered Monday night's game a staggering 0-10 in Finals games.
While that streak has little to do with the current Dream squad, it is absolutely the type of stat that can linger in the air and haunt a franchise, and had the Dream headed to Atlanta to play the two biggest games in franchise history down 0-2 in the Finals, and thus extending that streak to 11 games? Well, it is easy to see how that would have been a dominating narrative.
But the 2026 Dream made sure that wasn't the case, and proved that this is a new era in every conceivable way.
Winner: Jordin Canada and DeWanna Bonner
Atlanta's supporting cast came to play in Game 2
When Allisha Gray left Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals against the Liberty with an injured hand and didn't return for the remainder of the series, the reason the Dream were still able to get the sweep was because of the phenomenal play of point guard Jordin Canada and veteran DeWanna Bonner.
Gray returned for Game 1 of the Finals, but with the All-Star back in the lineup, both Canada and Bonner were rendered practically ineffective. On Saturday, Canada was 3 of 9 for eight points, five boards, seven assists and three turnovers, while Bonner only had two points in 13 minutes off the bench.
But in Game 2, both players seemed to find their rhythm alongside Gray once again. Canada had 13 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and one back-breaking half-court heave at the end of the third quarter that all but ended it. Bonner, meanwhile, had nine points, two rebounds and four steals off the bench.
Both players are still well short of their semifinal form, but getting them back in the flow before the move to State Farm Arena was crucial for the Dream.
Loser: Offense
Buckets have been tough to come by for both teams through two Finals games
The first two games of the WNBA Finals have been compelling, even thrilling at times. But they have been far from pretty.
In the first game, the Dream shot 33% from the field and 16% from the 3-point line, while the Valkyries shot 32% from the field and 21% from outside. On Monday night, the Dream shot 34% from the field and 28% from outside, while the Valkyries shot 34% and 29%. It is pretty wild to be through two Finals games and have neither team reach 35%. It is particularly mind-boggling given how many offensive records were broken in the WNBA this season.
Of course, the Valkyries are the best defensive team in the league, and the Dream have been the second-best defensive team in the second half of the season. So it makes sense that these aren't shootouts. But, going forward, it would be nice to see the scoreboards light up just a smidge more.
"I do know both teams are defending at a really high level with a really high intensity, so you may rush your shot. They're closing out hard. Could be a lot of factors," Dream coach Karl Smesko said. "As long as we're generating good shots, we feel good about it. We know we have good shooters. We know we have good attackers. So we know we can get extra possessions if we're doing the things that we need to do. So we go back to Atlanta and we'll have to play even better."
