The Valkyries didn’t lose many games this season. Their fans are not accustomed to heartbreak. But tonight, their 97-71 loss to Atlanta was the second L in a row. And a tough one.
The game started with some bad omens for Golden State. Angel Reese scored the first points of the game in the paint, a sign of the 21 points she would provide the Dream by the end of the game. Then, she hit a three (her first of the night). And Atlanta has not lost a game this season when Reese scores from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Golden State didn’t get their first points until five minutes into the game. They were already trailing by double digits in the first quarter.
The only thing keeping the Valkyries in the game and keeping fans at bars across the city in good spirits was the return of Janelle Salaün, the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, who has been absent from Natalie Nakase’s lineup through much of the playoffs. Salaün averaged 12.7 points off the bench all season but had only scored three points per game in the playoffs. So far in the finals, she had only played a combined nine minutes coming into Game 3.
But tonight, Salaün was back and not a moment too soon. She was part of a bench responsible for 38 of the Valkyries’ 71 points.
That bench production did not make up for the Valkyries other woes. They were shooting a little better than the last game of the series, but Atlanta was shooting a lot better. And Golden State continued to turn over the ball far more than it did all season.
Early in the second half the Valkyries tied the game, but they never took the lead. And even that close score was short lived. The gap got wider and wider.
The Valkyries now trail in the series, 2-1.
The next game of the WNBA Finals will be played in Atlanta on Saturday at 10 a.m. Pacific.