Dream beat Valkyries 80-69 in WNBA Finals Game 6, forcing first Game 7

Mixed · 2The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 at State Farm Arena on Thursday, 29 October, to level the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 3-3. 1 2 Mixed · 2The result forces the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco; both franchises are chasing a first title. 1 2 Mixed · 2Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21; Fox News reports they made nine of 13 three-point attempts between them, with Gray going 5-for-7 from three and Howard 4-for-6. 1 2

Centre · 1Angel Reese finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Newsweek says her 78 rebounds through six games are a record for a single WNBA Finals series. 1 Right · 1Fox News adds that Reese shot 5-for-18 with six turnovers, her third straight game with more turnovers than made field goals, and 9-for-38 (24%) with 15 turnovers across Games 4 to 6. 2 Mixed · 2Atlanta opened with a 13-0 run and led 32-15 after the first quarter, having made six of its first eight three-point attempts, and was up 46-26 at halftime. The lead was 63-47 entering the fourth quarter. 1 2

Mixed · 2Golden State, which needed one win for its first title in its second season, cut the deficit to 77-69 when Gabby Williams completed a three-point play with 1:15 left, fouling Howard out. Gray then hit a three off a Reese assist with 56 seconds left. Williams scored 26 for the Valkyries on 8-for-22 shooting, and the team made 22 of 70 field-goal attempts. 2 1 Centre · 1Atlanta had scored just 62 and 55 points in Games 4 and 5, which it lost. 1 Right · 1Fox News's OutKick section reports the league moved Game 6 from 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. to fit an arena doubleheader with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, who hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers that night. It says ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported a title celebration might have been moved to a practice court, then clarified there was "a resolve" to hold it on the court. Fox's writer calls the outcome a relief for the league, since an Atlanta loss would have meant a title decided that afternoon. 2

Right · 1Fox News also reports the crowd was largely full but quieter at the start than in Games 3 and 4, and that fans described taking time off work or pulling children from school. Tiffany Hayes' father, Renard Hayes, blamed the league and Atlanta for the scheduling. Both teams again left the court for the national anthem, their sixth consecutive absence in the Finals. 2