One win away became Finals bound on Friday night.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries both finished 3–0 semifinal sweeps on October 9, ending the seasons of the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces. Atlanta held off New York 85–83, while Golden State needed overtime to close out the defending champions, 87–77.
Now, the Dream and Valkyries will meet in the 2026 WNBA Finals—with both franchises chasing their first championship.
Atlanta Closes the Door in New York
Atlanta’s sweep ended with a two-point win, not a comfortable finish.
Angel Reese led the Dream with 22 points, Rhyne Howard scored 21, and Jordin Canada added 19 points and 11 assists. Atlanta secured its first Finals appearance since 2013 despite playing without Allisha Gray.
New York pushed back after halftime, but the Dream held on to finish the series on the Liberty’s home floor. (theguardian.com)
DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining to help secure the victory. After an overtime win in Game 2, Atlanta again made the closing plays needed to keep New York from extending the series. (wnba.com)
The series ended in a sweep. The final two games still made Atlanta work for it.
Golden State Finishes the Job in Overtime
Las Vegas made Golden State fight through another close finish before the Valkyries could claim their first Finals berth.
Golden State overcame a 13-point deficit, using a 17–0 third-quarter run to get back into the game. The teams eventually reached overtime tied at 71.
Then the Valkyries took control.
Golden State outscored Las Vegas 16–6 in the extra period and went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line to finish the sweep.
Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries with 18 points and nine rebounds. Gabby Williams scored 16—including eight in overtime—while Kiah Stokes contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes also scored 11.
The defending champions had an opportunity to extend their season at home. Golden State finished it instead. (valkyries.wnba.com)
Two Teams, One First Championship
Atlanta is returning to the Finals after a 13-year absence. Golden State is making its first appearance in only its second WNBA season. (theguardian.com, sfchronicle.com)
Both teams arrive after winning every game of their semifinal series. But those sweeps included overtime and narrow finishes—tests of how each team responds when a game is still there to be won.
That is the matchup ahead: two teams that closed out difficult games, now facing each other with a championship on the line.
What’s Next
The best-of-seven WNBA Finals begin Saturday, October 17, at Chase Center, with Golden State holding home-court advantage.
Game 1 tips off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. The first team to four wins will claim its first WNBA championship.
Atlanta and Golden State have reached the Finals. There are still four wins left to earn. (valkyries.wnba.com)
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