Game 1 of the WNBA Finals went to the Golden State Valkyries on their home court in San Francisco, with the Atlanta Dream unable to secure a victory despite their efforts throughout the contest. Golden State pulled ahead for a 68-64 victory at Chase Center after Atlanta's offence produced little in the way of scoring through the game's final stretch.
Two free throws from Rhyne Howard, converted with 3:12 left on the fourth-quarter clock, pushed Atlanta's advantage out to 64-61. From that point on, Atlanta's perimeter attempts went cold over four straight possessions, and the ball found opposing hands at the worst possible moments down the stretch. A seven-point burst to close the contest handed Golden State the victory.
With 2:15 left on the clock, Williams earned a pair of free throws at the line after drawing contact on a shooting attempt, converting both to pull Atlanta's margin down to a single point. With 1:18 left on the clock, a foul call against Reese sent Williams to the line, where she converted both attempts to lift Golden State to a 65-64 lead that would not be surrendered.
Two missed three-point attempts from Howard and Naz Hillmon set the stage for Kiah Stokes, who converted one of two free throws with 24 seconds remaining to extend Golden State's advantage to two points. Four seconds stood between the final buzzer and a Williams free-throw line visit that produced two more made shots, pushing her personal tally to 26 points — the highest any player reached that night.
Gray paced Atlanta's offence with 19 points, converting all eight of her free-throw attempts despite nursing an injury to the ring finger on her left hand. Fourteen points and a dozen rebounds — five of them hauled off the offensive glass — along with a pair of steals defined Reese's performance in the paint, until a sixth foul ended her night with 24 seconds still on the clock. Twelve points and seven rebounds came from Howard, with Canada distributing seven assists across the floor.
In Atlanta, around a dozen officially organised viewing gatherings drew fans to venues throughout the city, with Jolene Jolene — a bar devoted exclusively to women's sports and the first of its kind there — serving as the centrepiece of the evening. Branded towels and team merchandise passed through the packed stands while supporters responded with applause to each tackle the defence put together.
Ahead of the Game 2 tip-off at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, Howard spoke about the team's path to the WNBA Finals, noting that reaching this stage had been a goal set well before the season began and that the group had now put themselves in position to achieve it. Gray addressed her hand, saying the time away from the court allowed her body to recover, even as she acknowledged the difficulty of watching from the sideline rather than competing alongside her teammates.
Games 3 and 4 of the series are scheduled for Atlanta, with the third contest set for Wednesday, Oct. 21, and the fourth arriving that Saturday, Oct. 24.
