Reese's 30-16 Powers Dream to First Finals Win, Ties Series
Angel Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 79-65 win over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on 19 October in San Francisco. It was the franchise's first-ever win in the Finals, and it tied the best-of-seven series (first to four wins takes the championship) at 1-1. BBC Sport
Atlanta had waited a long time for this one. The Dream entered the night 0-10 in Finals games after 3-0 series defeats in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Golden State had taken this year's opener 68-64, so Atlanta faced real pressure not to fall behind 0-2.
Game 2 looked tight early. Atlanta led only 39-37 at half-time, with neither team able to pull away. Then came the surge.
The Dream outscored the Valkyries 30-8 during a 13-minute spell spanning the third and fourth quarters. Reese scored nine points in that stretch, attacking inside and cleaning up misses to turn a two-point game into a comfortable lead. The WNBA's official game recap lists the final on 19 October as Atlanta 79, Golden State 65.
Reese's line put her in rare company. She became only the third player to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game, after Jonquel Jones in 2019 and Breanna Stewart in 2020. At 24, she is the youngest player to post a 30-point, 15-rebound game in the postseason.
It is also her first season in Atlanta after a trade from the Chicago Sky. That new fit was on full display in San Francisco, where her rebounding gave the Dream extra possessions just as their shots started to fall.
What makes this stand out is how cleanly Atlanta flipped the series. A road split sends the Finals to Atlanta tied instead of with the Dream chasing. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled in Atlanta on 22 October and 24 October.
For fans, this means a fresh series and a first real taste of Finals winning basketball in Atlanta. Golden State still holds home-court edge in a long series, but the momentum now travels east with the Dream.
