Valkyries beat Dream 64-55 in the lowest-scoring WNBA Finals game since 2002
The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday at Chase Center, taking a 3-2 series lead. Golden State is one win from the title.
Finals data: lowest-scoring games since 2002
Key finding: Game 5 broke a three-way tie at 121 points for the lowest-scoring WNBA Finals game since at least 2002.
| Rank | Finals game | Final score | Combined points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 Game 5 | Golden State 64, Atlanta 55 | 119 |
| 2 (tie) | 2015 Game 5 | Minnesota 69, Indiana 52 | 121 |
| 2 (tie) | 2005 Game 4 | Sacramento 62, Connecticut 59 | 121 |
| 2 (tie) | 2005 Game 3 | Sacramento 66, Connecticut 55 | 121 |
| 5 | 2003 Game 2 | Detroit 62, Los Angeles 61 | 123 |
| 6 | 2006 Game 4 | Detroit 72, Sacramento 52 | 124 |
| 7 (tie) | 2026 Game 4 | Golden State 67, Atlanta 62 | 129 |
| 7 (tie) | 2024 Game 5 | New York 67, Minnesota 62 (OT) | 129 |
Atlanta made 19 of 65 shots, 29.2%, and 6 of 26 threes. Its 55 points are the fewest by either team in the series. Golden State shot 39.3% and blocked 9 shots.
The 119 combined points are the fewest in any of the 98 WNBA Finals games played from 2002 through Monday. Golden State's 64 points are the fewest by a Finals winner since Sacramento beat Connecticut 62-59 in Game 4 of the 2005 Finals.
Atlanta's 55 points tie Connecticut in 2005 Game 3 for the fourth-lowest team score in that span, behind Phoenix's 50 in 2021 Game 3 and 52-point games by Sacramento (2006 Game 4) and Indiana (2015 Game 5).
Series data: the third quarter and the point differential
Key finding: Golden State leads 3-2 while being outscored 357-335. Atlanta has won the third quarter by 32 points, and Golden State has won the other three quarters by 10.
| Game | Final | 3rd quarter | Other 3 quarters | Halftime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valkyries 68, Dream 64 | Dream 17-9 | Valkyries 59-47 | Valkyries 42-39 |
| 2 | Dream 79, Valkyries 65 | Dream 21-9 | Dream 58-56 | Dream 39-37 |
| 3 | Dream 97, Valkyries 71 | Dream 25-17 | Dream 72-54 | Dream 46-40 |
| 4 | Valkyries 67, Dream 62 | Dream 19-12 | Valkyries 55-43 | Valkyries 42-26 |
| 5 | Valkyries 64, Dream 55 | Valkyries 21-18 | Valkyries 43-37 | Valkyries 25-22 |
| Total | Dream 357, Valkyries 335 | Dream 100-68 | Valkyries 267-257 | Halftime leader 5-0 |
Only two teams in the 2002-2026 database won three of a Finals' first five games while being outscored over those games, and both won the title: the 2006 Detroit Shock (365-374, -9) and the 2016 Los Angeles Sparks (386-391, -5). Golden State is at -22.
Methods and sources: final and quarter scores from official WNBA.com box scores (Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, Game 5) and WNBA.com game records for every Finals game from 2002 to 2025, the same records behind the FCB Finals database. Overtime games count full final scores. Finals before 2002 are not yet in the database. Data through Game 5, Oct. 26, 2026. The data is free to use: all 98 Finals scores (CSV) and 2026 Finals quarter scores (CSV).
Atlanta's 8-point quarter
Golden State started Kaila Charles, Gabby Williams, Kiah Stokes, Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton, the same five as Game 4. Angel Reese picked up two fouls in the first quarter, an offensive foul at 2:08 and a personal foul with 58.9 seconds left, and sat until 8:28 of the second.
The Dream led 14-13 after one quarter on a Rhyne Howard three with 21.5 seconds left. That one-point edge was Atlanta's biggest lead of the night. The Dream scored 8 points in the second quarter and trailed 25-22 at halftime. Their 22 first-half points are the fewest by either team in a half this series.
Atlanta had won the third quarter in each of the first four games, 82-47 combined. This time Kiah Stokes made two threes in the period, and Golden State won it 21-18 to lead 46-40.
At 6:37 of the third, Allisha Gray was called for an offensive foul on an inbounds play with Golden State up 34-26. The Dream challenged, and replay upheld the call.
How Golden State pulled away
A Jordin Canada layup cut the lead to 46-42 with 9:53 left. Golden State then scored 10 of the next 12 points: a Gabby Williams and-one, a Stokes three at 7:21 assisted by Cecilia Zandalasini, a Veronica Burton basket and a Zandalasini basket at 4:58 for 56-44.
After two Isobel Borlase free throws, Tiffany Hayes scored Golden State's next 6 points, a basket at 3:50 assisted by Zandalasini and four free throws. Her last two, at 1:46, made it 62-46, the Valkyries' biggest lead. Atlanta did not score from 4:07 to 1:30, then hit three late threes, two by Canada and one by Howard, to close the gap.
The numbers that decided it
- Turnovers. Atlanta 17, Golden State 9, including 2 team turnovers each, per the official WNBA.com box score. Golden State had 9 steals and scored 21 points off turnovers to Atlanta's 6.
- Shooting. Golden State made 24 of 61 shots and Atlanta 19 of 65. Both teams made 6 threes.
- Rim protection. Golden State blocked 9 shots to Atlanta's 3. Burton had 4, Stokes 3, and Kaila Charles and Zandalasini 1 each.
- The glass. Atlanta won the rebounding battle 44-33, with 12 offensive rebounds to Golden State's 5, and outscored Golden State 19-6 on second-chance points. Atlanta took 65 shots to Golden State's 61 but made 13 of 39 inside the arc.
- Paint and bench. Golden State won points in the paint 26-18 and bench points 15-4.
Free throws dried up. Atlanta averaged 29.0 free-throw attempts in Games 1-4, then went 11 of 14, its fewest attempts of the Finals by 7.
| Game | Dream FT-FTA | Valkyries FT-FTA | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18-21 | 11-16 | Loss, 68-64 |
| 2 | 30-35 | 16-19 | Win, 79-65 |
| 3 | 20-29 | 11-17 | Win, 97-71 |
| 4 | 22-31 | 11-13 | Loss, 67-62 |
| 5 | 11-14 | 10-13 | Loss, 64-55 |
Reese's scoring. Reese's last field goal came with 1:39 left in the first quarter. Her 7 points and 4 free-throw attempts are her lows of the 2026 playoffs, and she had 3 turnovers to 2 made shots. Atlanta is 2-0 this series when she scores 20 or more and 0-3 when she scores under 15.
| Game | Reese FGM-FGA | FTM-FTA | Rebounds | Turnovers | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5-11 | 4-7 | 12 | 4 | 14 | Loss |
| 2 | 10-16 | 9-11 | 16 | 2 | 30 | Win |
| 3 | 7-12 | 5-5 | 12 | 2 | 21 | Win |
| 4 | 2-12 | 4-6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | Loss |
| 5 | 2-8 | 3-4 | 15 | 3 | 7 | Loss |
| Games 1-3 | 22-39 (56.4%) | 18-23 | 13.3 per game | 8 | 21.7 per game | 2-1 |
| Games 4-5 | 4-20 (20.0%) | 7-10 | 12.0 per game | 9 | 7.5 per game | 0-2 |
Stokes had 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting, 3 of 4 from three, with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. She has 17 blocks in the series and at least 3 in every game. The WNBA said before Game 5 that her 14 blocks through Game 4 had already passed Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner for the most in a Finals series, and the league noted her sixth straight playoff game with 3 or more blocks ties Lisa Leslie for the longest such streak. After the game she told the home fans, "All we need is two hoops, 94 feet and each other," in an on-court interview the WNBA posted. Burton added 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Hayes scored 12 on 4 of 9 shooting and 4 of 4 free throws. It is her fourth straight game in double figures. Zandalasini had 12 points off the bench on 5 of 10 shooting and was +9, the best mark of the game, after a game-high +20 in Game 4. Williams scored 9 with 3 steals.
Howard led Atlanta with 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting, including 3 of 8 threes. Angel Reese had 15 rebounds, 5 of them offensive, and 5 assists, but scored 7 points on 2 of 8 shooting. Canada scored 12 on 5 of 16, Allisha Gray had 10 on 4 of 12, and Naz Hillmon grabbed 11 rebounds. Atlanta's bench went 0 of 9 from the field. DeWanna Bonner and Borlase combined for 4 points on 0 of 8.
Watch every possession on the Game 5 play-by-play page, or check the official WNBA.com box score.
Before the game, Reese arrived at Chase Center in a black "Protect Black Women" T-shirt, in a video the WNBA posted.
The series so far
The team with fewer turnovers has won all five games, and so has the team leading at halftime. Atlanta has won its two games by a combined 40 points. Golden State has won its three by a combined 18. The Valkyries, in their second season, went 32-12 as the No. 2 seed.
Game 5 drew 18,064 at Chase Center, a sellout. That brings the 2026 Finals to 88,390 fans through five games, according to the FCB Finals attendance tracker. The record is 92,599, set in 2024. A Game 6 crowd of 4,209 would tie it and 4,210 would break it. State Farm Arena drew sellouts of 17,099 for Games 3 and 4.
What's next
Game 6 is Thursday, Oct. 29, at 9:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. ET) at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (WNBA.com game page), on USA Network, E! and Syfy and streaming on Peacock. Golden State can clinch the title with a win.
Full Court Buckets gathers and verifies its own game data against official WNBA box scores.
TV: USA Network, E! and Syfy ยท Stream: Peacock
Play-by-play: Full Court Buckets game page.
How this story was made: Full Court Buckets articles are written by Ryan Moalemi, sometimes with AI assistance, and every stat is checked against official WNBA box scores and the sources cited in the story. How we make Full Court Buckets
Full Court Buckets · WNBA News. Analysis. Commentary.