Angel Reese struggles badly after bold comments as Valkyries beat Dream to even WNBA Finals
The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67–62 in Game 4, levelling the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 2–2. Angel Reese had a difficult game after saying she could disrupt Golden State’s confidence, as Atlanta’s leading player struggled to score when the Dream were trying to close the gap.
Reese finished with eight points and nine rebounds, shooting 2-for-12 and committing six turnovers; she had scored 51 points and collected 28 rebounds across Atlanta’s previous two wins. The Dream made 14 first-half turnovers and went into the break trailing 42–26, then rallied but could not complete the comeback. Atlanta also made only 22 of 31 free throws, and the series moves to Game 5 in San Francisco on Monday.
In short
- Golden State won 67–62 to tie the Finals 2–2.
- Reese had eight points, nine rebounds and six turnovers.
- Game 5 is Monday in San Francisco.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Reese’s poor shooting and six turnovers came at a pivotal moment, and her confident prediction gave added force to questions about whether she could deliver under pressure. Atlanta’s early turnovers and missed free throws also suggest the defeat reflected broader execution problems, not just one player’s performance. Assessing those shortcomings matters to understanding why the Dream could not complete their comeback.
The case against
One difficult game does not erase Reese’s major contribution to Atlanta’s previous two wins, when she scored 51 points and took 28 rebounds. Golden State’s defence and the pressure of a close Finals game may help explain her struggles, while the Dream’s first-half turnovers and missed free throws show the loss was not hers alone. Her confident comments can be read as competitive belief rather than a promise that every game would go her way.
Explained simply
The WNBA Finals decide the league championship in a best-of-seven series, so the first team to win four games takes the title. The Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries are level at two wins each, making the remaining games decisive.
Angel Reese is a forward for Atlanta and one of its leading players. The Valkyries are a San Francisco-based team; this is their first season in the WNBA, the top women’s professional basketball league in the United States.