ATLANTA – Angel Reese said Friday that she could take Golden State’s confidence and “mess them up.” On Saturday, the Valkyries made a mess of her afternoon.
Reese followed two dominant performances with her worst game of the series, missing layup after layup when Atlanta needed her most.
She finished with eight points and nine rebounds on 2-for-12 shooting as the Dream lost 67–62 to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday at State Farm Arena, evening the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 2–2. Reese also committed six turnovers.
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After combining for 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s two victories, Reese had plenty of confidence heading into Game 4.
“They’re playing into my mental game,” Reese said Friday.
Before tipoff, both teams again stayed off the court for the national anthem, marking their fourth straight absence in the series. They left moments before the performance and returned seconds after it ended.
Once the game began, Reese struggled to finish around the basket and hold onto the ball. She went scoreless in the first quarter and reached halftime with four points, three rebounds, five turnovers and three fouls. Two of those fouls were offensive.
Atlanta’s problems extended beyond Reese. The Dream committed 14 first-half turnovers and attempted just 19 shots to Golden State’s 40.
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Reese’s hook shot with 6:15 left in the second quarter was Atlanta’s last field goal of the half. The Valkyries closed the period on an 18–6 run to take a 42–26 lead into the break.
The Dream made a push in the third, cutting the deficit to six on Isobel Borlase’s three-pointer with 4:27 remaining. But Golden State answered with consecutive baskets from Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams and took a 54–45 lead into the fourth.
Reese scored two points in the third, both at the foul line. Her only shot attempt was a missed three, and she picked up her fourth foul in the closing seconds.
She had a chance to salvage her afternoon in the fourth quarter. Instead, she missed her first five shots of the period: three layups, a tip shot and a short hook.
Atlanta got within six twice. After Veronica Burton’s three-pointer pushed Golden State’s lead to 64–55 with 4:23 remaining, Reese missed a layup, grabbed her own rebound and missed the tip. On Atlanta’s next possession, she missed a 5-foot hook.
The Dream needed their star to deliver. She kept leaving points at the rim.
Reese finally made a driving layup with 1:36 remaining, her first field goal since the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 64–59. Before that basket, she had missed six layups, including one blocked by Kiah Stokes.
Atlanta still had a chance. But Allisha Gray and Borlase missed threes on the same possession, and Burton’s jumper with 34.6 seconds left stretched the lead back to seven.
Rhyne Howard’s three-point play brought Atlanta within four with 28.7 seconds remaining. Burton made one of two free throws, and the Dream’s final possession ended with another Reese mistake. She grabbed two offensive rebounds to keep it alive, then threw a pass that Williams stole with 9.8 seconds left. It was her sixth turnover.
The Dream also hurt themselves at the foul line, finishing 22-for-31. Gray picked up her fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, adding to Atlanta’s problems.
Game 5 is Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
