™Facing elimination, in front of their own crowd, on a Thursday lunchtime — the Atlanta Dream did not blink. Atlanta stormed out to the largest first-quarter lead in WNBA Finals history and held off a late Golden State rally for an 80–69 win over the Valkyries in Game 6 on Thursday at State Farm Arena, leveling the series at 3–3 and forcing the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history.
A start Golden State never recovered from
The Dream scored 32 points in the first quarter — on six three-pointers — and led 32–15 after ten minutes, a 17-point margin that stands as the biggest first-quarter lead a Finals game has ever seen. Atlanta took a 20-point lead into halftime and stretched its advantage to as many as 25 points in the third quarter. Golden State, which shot just 31 percent from the field for the game, never led, and its slow start in the unusual 12:30 p.m. ET tip — moved because of a scheduling clash with the Atlanta Hawks later that evening — proved too much to overcome.
Gray and Howard find their range
Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including five three-pointers, and Rhyne Howard — mired in a shooting slump coming in — added 21 points with four threes of her own. Atlanta finished with 13 three-pointers at 43.3 percent from deep, tied for the most threes by a team facing elimination in Finals history. Angel Reese recorded another double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordin Canada added 10 points as Atlanta put four players in double figures.
Williams nearly wills a comeback
Gabby Williams led all scorers with 26 points for Golden State, and nearly dragged the Valkyries all the way back. After Atlanta had restored its lead to 74–55, Williams scored ten straight points in the fourth quarter as part of a late surge that cut the margin to 77–69. But Gray answered with the dagger three-pointer with about a minute to go, putting Game 6 on ice and denying Golden State a championship clincher in its second season of existence. Tiffany Hayes added 15 points for the Valkyries.
What it means
Everything now comes down to one game. The series shifts back to San Francisco for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday, October 31, at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center — the first Game 7 the WNBA Finals has ever produced since the series expanded to best-of-seven in 2025. Both teams are chasing a first championship in franchise history. The Dream, who trailed 3–2 and faced elimination at home, have forced the decider. The Valkyries, who had the title within reach on Thursday, must now win it in front of their own crowd at Ballhalla — or watch Atlanta lift the trophy on their floor.