Up 3-2 in the series, the Golden State Valkyries can win the franchise’s first WNBA championship Thursday afternoon in WNBA Finals Game 6 against the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena. If Atlanta wins, Game 7 is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center.
The opening tip went up at 12:41 p.m. ET, or 9:41 in the Bay Area. The league had scheduled it for 12:30 so the building could be flipped for the Atlanta Hawks’ 8 p.m. game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Every seat was sold, the Dream said Wednesday.
Updates run newest first.
Halftime
Halftime (1:28 p.m. ET) | Dream 46, Valkyries 26
Atlanta shot 17-of-32 (53.1%) in the first half and 8-of-15 from 3-point range. Golden State shot 9-of-34 (26.5%). The Dream scored 55 points in all of Game 5.
Rhyne Howard leads Atlanta with 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting. Allisha Gray has 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Angel Reese has 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Tiffany Hayes leads Golden State with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Gabby Williams is 1-of-9 from the field. Kiah Stokes has no points and 5 rebounds in 11:50.
The Dream outrebounded the Valkyries 19-14 and outscored them 16-8 in the paint.
Second Quarter: Dream 14, Valkyries 11
1:04 Left in the Half | Dream 46, Valkyries 26
The last 5 points of the half went to Golden State. Hayes started it with a pull-up 3-pointer off a Kaila Charles pass at 1:35. Williams picked off Isobel Borlase at 1:09, and Laeticia Amihere scored at the other end off a pass from Kaitlyn Chen. Borlase’s jumper at 3:15 was Atlanta’s last basket of the half.
4:21 | Dream 44, Valkyries 19
Howard’s pull-up jumper put Atlanta ahead by 25, its largest lead of the half. Reese had hit a 3-pointer at 4:40, her first make from deep in the game.
8:12 | Dream 35, Valkyries 15
Howard’s 3-pointer gave Atlanta its first 20-point lead. Golden State missed its first five shots of the quarter.
Rhyne Howard is HEATING UP
That's her THIRD triple of the day
pic.twitter.com/bDQzu3G5Mf
— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2026
First Quarter: Dream 32, Valkyries 15
End of First Quarter (1:02 p.m. ET) | Dream 32, Valkyries 15
Atlanta shot 11-of-15 (73.3%) in the quarter and 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Golden State shot 5-of-17. The Dream scored 8 points off four Golden State turnovers.
Gray had 8 points on 3-of-3 shooting. Reese had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
1:05 | Dream 31, Valkyries 10
Jordin Canada’s finger-roll layup off a Reese assist put Atlanta up 21. The Dream went on a 25-5 run after Williams’ technical free throw made it 6-5 at 7:31.
2:47 | Dream 25, Valkyries 8
Howard hit 3-pointers on back-to-back Atlanta possessions, at 3:31 and 2:47.
4:10 | Dream 19, Valkyries 5
Canada stole a Hayes pass and scored on a fast-break layup. Gray had hit her second 3-pointer at 4:24.
5:41 | Dream 11, Valkyries 5
Reese scored on a driving layup off a Gray assist, drew a foul on Stokes, and made the free throw. Reese scored 8 points in Game 4 and 7 in Game 5, shooting 4-of-20 across the two games.
Angel Reese and Atlanta getting ACTIVATED in Game 6
The ATL Barbie let the Valks bench hear it after this one
pic.twitter.com/lhSXS4EWNW
— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2026
7:06 | Dream 8, Valkyries 5
Gray hit a floater off an assist from Naz Hillmon. She shot 5-of-19 across Games 4 and 5 while playing through a hand injury.
7:31 | Dream 6, Valkyries 5
Hillmon was called for a defensive three-seconds technical, and Williams made the free throw. Gray and Hillmon had each hit a 3-pointer off a Reese assist. Veronica Burton and Hayes scored Golden State’s first baskets.
Tip-Off (12:41 p.m. ET)
Hillmon controlled the opening tip between Reese and Stokes. Golden State started Burton, Charles, Hayes, Stokes, and Williams, the lineup it used in Games 4 and 5. Atlanta started Canada, Gray, Hillmon, Howard, and Reese. Brionna Jones and Te-Hina Paopao did not dress, both listed with left leg injuries.
Pregame
12:39 p.m. ET | Inside State Farm Arena
The opening tip was two minutes away when this view of State Farm Arena was posted.
11:30 a.m. ET | Bay Area Watch Party
The Valkyries opened a free watch party at Thrive City at 8:30 a.m. PT, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
11 a.m. ET | Lexie Hull on the Start Time
Sportico posted a clip of Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull.
10 a.m. ET | Draymond Green on the Hawks
The Dream and the Hawks are owned by separate groups, unlike the Valkyries, who are controlled by Warriors owner Joe Lacob, The Associated Press reported. Warriors forward Draymond Green’s show posted his take on the Game 6 slot.
Reaction to the WNBA Finals Game 6 Start Time
Wednesday | Gabby Williams on Game 6
Williams said Wednesday that the Valkyries know how hard Atlanta has been playing.
“You need to be hungrier,” Williams said. “You have to want it more. You have to be resilient. This is probably going to be the hardest game that we play of our entire lives, honestly. Just because both teams want it so bad, and we know how hard Atlanta’s been playing, so we just have to go beyond that.”
Wednesday | Sold Out
More than 10,000 tickets sold in the first 90 minutes they were available, a Dream spokesperson told The Associated Press. Secondary-market seats were still going for under $40 on Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Thank you, Dreamers
Game 6 is officially SOLD OUT because of you!
Let's pull up and get ready to rally our Atlanta Dream to victory! See you tomorrowpic.twitter.com/tL9FoKXcAq
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) October 28, 2026
Tuesday | The Owners’ Letter
Dream owners Robyn and Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and Renee Montgomery published an open letter to fans. They wrote that they raised the arena conflict with the WNBA two months earlier, when the league finalized playoff dates and times, and raised it again as Atlanta advanced. Colin Salao of Front Office Sports posted the letter.
“Playing a midday game on a Thursday is not what we would have chosen and not what we fought for,” the owners wrote. “And as much as we have great affection and nostalgia for Gateway Center Arena, we believed that our fans and the city wanted the opportunity to be a part of this historic series, and to see it played on a world-class stage. That meant State Farm Arena.”
Monday | Breakfast Plans
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he would be watching over breakfast. The Warriors share ownership and Chase Center with the Valkyries.
Monday Night | Call in Sick
Golden State held the Dream to 29.2% shooting Monday night and won Game 5 at Chase Center, 64-55. One sign in the crowd, according to NBC News, read “MOVE THE HAWKS GAME WOMEN = PRIME TIME.”
Burton expects Golden State’s fans to find a way at 9:30 a.m.
“Call in sick,” Burton said. “I recommend it.”
Monday | What Simmons, Deitsch, and Others Posted
Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin posted that night about the 12:30 p.m. slot, for the players as well as the fans.
I’d rather play anywhere else than have a 12:30 tip for a WNBA FINALS game man! Not a good look! For fans and for the players
just my 2cents that no one asked for.
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) October 26, 2026
Dan Pfeiffer, a former White House communications director, posted after the league announced the start time.
Bill Simmons, the founder of The Ringer, posted minutes earlier.
Geoff Schwartz, a former NFL offensive lineman, wrote about the body clock for the visiting team.
The first two games of the series drew record ratings, according to The Associated Press. Richard Deitsch, host of the Sports Media Podcast, posted minutes after Mandel.
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic wrote about Valkyries fans who would need to be free at 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday.
Monday | The Gateway Center Idea
Doug Feinberg, the AP’s national basketball writer, posted an option for the Hawks’ Thursday game.
Rebecca Lobo replied the same day.
Monday | Gray on the Clock
Atlanta News First’s Avery Braxton captured Gray’s answer on the time change.
Monday | Game 6 Moves to 12:30 p.m.
The league moved Game 6 up from 8 p.m. ET so the Dream could stay at State Farm Arena rather than return to Gateway Center Arena in College Park, which seats about 3,500. The Hawks pushed their game against the Cavaliers from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both NBA teams played Wednesday night, which ruled out putting their game in the early window, according to The Associated Press.
The league’s statement thanked the NBA, both teams, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and USA Network for the collaboration that made the move possible.
“The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we’re excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.
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