WNBA Finals open Saturday at 12:30 PM PT with the Valkyries hosting the Dream in Game 1
The WNBA Finals start Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12:30 PM PT, when the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries host the No. 4 Atlanta Dream at Chase Center in San Francisco (NBC and Peacock). Both teams swept their semifinals on Oct. 9, so the league will crown a first-time champion.
The number that stands out in FCB’s Finals database: Atlanta is 0-9 in Finals games. Its last Finals home game, in 2013, drew 5,040 at the Gwinnett Center. This time Games 3 and 4 are at State Farm Arena, and Gray’s status for Saturday is still open.
WNBA Finals schedule (all times PT)
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 12:30 PM PT (3:30 PM ET), Chase Center, NBC and Peacock
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 5:00 PM PT (8:00 PM ET), Chase Center, USA Network, CNBC and Peacock
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 5:00 PM PT (8:00 PM ET), State Farm Arena, USA Network, CNBC and Peacock
- Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET), State Farm Arena, NBC and Peacock
- Games 5, 6 and 7, if necessary: dates and times not in the league release
The best-of-seven series uses a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with Golden State holding home court. On Oct. 13 the league moved Games 3 and 4 to State Farm Arena, moved Game 3 up from Thursday, Oct. 22, to Wednesday, Oct. 21, and moved Game 4’s tip from 12:30 PM PT to 10:00 AM PT (WNBA release). The league said the change “dramatically expands the seating capacity.”
How both teams got here
Dream 85, Liberty 83 (Brooklyn). Atlanta finished a 3-0 sweep and reached its first Finals since 2013. Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists with no turnovers, Angel Reese had 22 points and 9 rebounds, and Rhyne Howard scored 21. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones scored 26 each for New York. Read the full recap.
Valkyries 87, Aces 77, OT (Las Vegas). Golden State won overtime 16-6 to sweep the defending champions. Kayla Thornton scored 18, Gabby Williams had 16 with 3 steals, and Kiah Stokes went 5 for 5 for 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes added 11. A’ja Wilson scored 21 on 6-of-19 shooting. Read the full recap.
The Valkyries got here in their second season, the fastest an expansion team has reached the Finals. Final seeds are on our standings page.
Allisha Gray is day-to-day
Allisha Gray, Atlanta’s leading scorer at 19.0 points a game, is day-to-day after a minor procedure on her left hand. She hurt it in Game 1 of the semifinals and played 11 minutes in that series. She was a full participant in practice on Friday, Oct. 16, after a limited session Thursday, and said she felt good, but the Dream want to see how her hand handles game pace before deciding on Saturday (USA TODAY’s Meghan L. Hall, via RotoWire, Oct. 16). Earlier reporting: USA TODAY, Oct. 15.
Five things FCB’s box-score data shows
FCB compiles its data from official box scores. These come from three regular-season games and five or six playoff games per team, so treat them as context, not predictions.
1. Golden State won the season series with threes. The Valkyries made 33 threes to Atlanta’s 18 across the three meetings, a 45-point edge from beyond the arc in a series they won by a combined 19. Atlanta had more offensive rebounds in all three games (31 to 20 overall).
2. The season series is old. The last meeting was July 4, when Atlanta was 12-9 and on a five-game losing streak. The Dream finished 30-14, have lost once since Aug. 18 and arrive on a franchise-best 10-game winning streak.
3. Atlanta has the bigger playoff margin. The Dream are 5-0, scoring 92.6 points a game and allowing 83.0 (+9.6). The Valkyries are 5-1, scoring 87.0 and allowing 79.8 (+7.2), so the Valkyries allow fewer points and the Dream score more.
4. Atlanta has owned the finishes. Across their five playoff games, the Dream outscored opponents by 16 in fourth quarters and overtime. Golden State is minus-3 in the same stretch over six games, though it’s 1-1 in overtime, losing at Dallas and winning at Las Vegas. Both teams are unbeaten in playoff games decided by three points or fewer (Atlanta 2-0, Golden State 1-0).
5. The crowd gap is about 2 to 1. Chase Center drew 18,064 for both regular-season meetings and all four Golden State home playoff games. The July 4 game in College Park, at Gateway Center, drew 3,596. Atlanta’s three home playoff games at State Farm Arena averaged 9,695.
The awards on the floor
Reese is the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year, the first Dream player to win it (WNBA release). Williams finished second in that vote. Reese, Howard and Williams all made the All-Defensive First Team. Wilson, whose Aces Golden State just eliminated, won a record fifth MVP and became the first player to win three in a row.
What FCB’s Finals data says about the crowds
FCB compiles its data from official box scores. Three numbers frame this series:
- Chase Center has drawn 18,064 for all four of Golden State’s 2026 home playoff games.
- Atlanta’s three Finals home games before this year drew 10,522 (2010), 11,543 (2011) and 5,040 (2013).
- The single-Finals record is 92,599 total, set in 2024 (18,520 a game).
Two sold-out Chase Center games would put the series at 36,128 before it reaches Atlanta. Whether the Finals pass 92,599 depends on how many games are played and what State Farm Arena draws for Games 3 and 4. We’ll log every game in the Finals attendance database, which is free to cite.
How this story was made: drafted with AI tools from the sources linked above, then reviewed and edited by Ryan Moalemi. How we make Full Court Buckets
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