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Reporting from STATE FARM ARENA
After back-to-back losses dropped them behind in the 2026 WNBA Finals despite winning Game 1, the Golden State Valkyries were searching for answers. They looked as if their spirit had been taken.
But on Saturday afternoon, another stellar defensive performance carried Golden State to a 67-62 win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 4 at a thunderous State Farm Arena, tying the Finals at two games apiece.
Head coach Natalie Nakase changed her starting lineup for Game 4, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes for Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini. In Golden State’s 10th game of these playoffs, it was the first time the Valkyries had altered their starting five.
Nakase said she simply wanted a different look, and that her players didn’t mind:
“I just wanted to change it up. The best thing about our team is no one cares who starts. No one cares. People coming off the bench, it doesn’t matter. We do that because we have a really selfless team.”
Gabby Williams finished with a team-high 17 points, but it was Hayes who closed it out for Golden State, scoring all 13 of her points in the second half.
Williams said leading the team means setting the tone herself:
“If I want to lead my team, I have to be the one that sets the tone. I have to lead by example as well. So I think that motivated me to set the tempo today.”
Williams continues to be Golden State’s leader late into the season. She added three steals Saturday.
Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 19 points. Angel Reese finished with eight points on 2-of-12 shooting and six turnovers. The Dream’s 62 points were their fewest of these playoffs.
The Valkyries came out aggressive but started 2-of-12 in the first five minutes. Those 12 shots were twice as many as Atlanta attempted. Nakase showed some early aggressiveness of her own, but it led to an unsuccessful challenge of a call on Zandalasini with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.
Four steals led to nine points for Golden State, which took a 16-11 lead into the second quarter. The Valkyries also outshot Atlanta, 22-10, in attempts in the opening period.
Even with Atlanta scoring on its first four attempts of the second quarter, Golden State went on a 14-3 run to stretch its lead to 15. The backcourt was at the forefront, as Williams and Veronica Burton combined for 16 in the period. Golden State’s 42-26 halftime lead was its largest of these Finals.
Despite shooting 42 percent in the first half, Atlanta took only 19 shots and made just one 3-pointer. The Dream also shot themselves in the foot with 14 turnovers, which Golden State turned into 16 points.
A sold-out State Farm Arena looked to spark its Dream in the third quarter, and Atlanta answered by opening the period on a 14-4 run, cutting the deficit to six and sending Nakase to call for time because the roof was about to explode.
All 12 of Golden State’s third-quarter points came from Hayes or Williams, and the Valkyries entered the final quarter with a nine-point lead.
Kaitlyn Chen started the fourth quarter for Golden State after Burton picked up her fourth foul. Burton had played every second up to that point.
Atlanta didn’t back down, but neither did Hayes, who scored Golden State’s first seven points of the quarter. A 24-foot step-back 3-pointer from Burton proved to be the backbreaker for the Dream, and the silencer for the Atlanta crowd.
Burton finished with 13 points, six of them in the final period.
Up Next
A pivotal Game 5 is set for Monday night at Chase Center in San Francisco. Tipoff is scheduled for shortly after 5 p.m. on USA Network and Peacock.
Valkyries shut out of All-WNBA again
Before Game 4, the WNBA announced its first- and second-team All-WNBA selections. For the second straight year, no Golden State player made either team.
First team: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever; Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx; Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever; Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty; A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces.
Second team: Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics; Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings; Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream; Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream; Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces.
Star watch
Atlanta music royalty was in the building for Game 4, as 21 Savage, 2 Chainz, Gunna, Metro Boomin, T.I. and Big Boi were part of the whiteout inside a sold-out State Farm Arena.
Big Boi is on double duty in Atlanta this weekend, performing at halftime Saturday for the Dream and again Sunday afternoon for the Falcons against the San Francisco 49ers.
