WNBA Finals 2 Winners and Losers: Angel Reese Posts Ridiculous Numbers in Dream Even Series vs. Valks

The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries on their home court, 79-65, in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals Monday night, evening the best-of-seven series at 1-1. Angel Reese was virtually unstoppable with 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and even a 3-pointer for good measure.

Allisha Gray added 18 points and five rebounds, while Jordin Canada had 13 points and 10 assists for Atlanta, including a half-court beater late in the third quarter. And as Rhyne Howard’s offensive struggles continued, she set a WNBA Finals record for steals with six.

It was a close first half, but the Dream eventually pulled away in the second to seal their first WNBA Finals victory in franchise history. The series will now travel to Atlanta for the next two games, starting with Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Here are Monday night’s winners and losers:

Winner: Angel Reese

Reese had one of the highest scores in WNBA Finals history

There’s really nowhere to start. Reese came out hot in the opener with 11 points in the first quarter, but only had three points the rest of the game. Before the announcement, she vowed to be more aggressive in the second match, and she certainly delivered until the end.

In the first half, she was 6 of 9 (66.7%) for 15 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a block. In the second half? She was 4 of 7 (57.1%) for 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer.

Reese became only the third player to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Breanna Stewart (2020) and Jonquel Jones (2019).

“I think I let my team down last game, by not really contributing as much as I could in the second half, and not just scoring, screen quality, hustling and wanting to get rebounds, and just doing the things that they know I do,” Reese said, referring to his performance Saturday night. “I just wanted to make sure I went out tonight, made my mark and did everything I could to get the win.”

Loser: Valkyries third quarter

Golden State’s home crowd was knocked out of the game in the second half.

This game was fierce until the middle of the third quarter, with 13 ties and 14 lead changes. But then the Dream finished the third quarter on an 18-4 run that virtually silenced the notoriously loud crowd at Ballhalla in San Francisco — especially when it turned into a 9-2 run to start the fourth.

In the third quarter, the Valkyries were 4 of 15 (26.7%) from the field and 1 of 6 (16.7%) from the field for just nine points. But the real problem is that they had eight turnovers, compared to only three for the Dream. They were outplayed and dominated at every turn.

While Reese had nine points in that crucial frame, the only Valkyries starter to score in the third was Veronica Burton, who had five points. Gabby Williams only made one shot in the entire quarter and missed it. During that time, she made two turnovers. Even though there was still technically time for a comeback in the fourth, Golden State simply couldn’t recover.

Loser: Winless streak in Atlanta Dream final

The Dream finally wins the final after 10 consecutive defeats

Coming into this series, both teams were winless in the WNBA Finals. But while the Valkyries’ lack of success in the Finals was understandable given that the team is only two years old, the story of the Dream’s Finals is much more traumatic.

The Dream joined the WNBA as an expansion team in 2008 and, from 2010 to 2013, reached the WNBA Finals in three out of four seasons. However, the Dreams were swept in all three finals appearances and entered Monday night’s game with a staggering 0-10 score in the finals games.

While that streak doesn’t have much to do with the current Dream team, it’s absolutely the type of stat that can linger in the air and haunt a franchise, and did the Dream travel to Atlanta to play the two biggest games in franchise history going 0-2 in the Finals, extending that streak to 11 games? Well, it’s easy to see how this could have been a dominant narrative.

But Dream 2026 made sure that wasn’t the case and proved that this is a new era in every way imaginable.

Winner: Jordin Canada and DeWanna Bonner

Atlanta’s supporting cast came out to play in Game 2

When Allisha Gray left Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals against the Liberty with an injured hand and did not return for the remainder of the series, the reason the Dream were still able to earn the sweep was the phenomenal play of point guard Jordin Canada and veteran DeWanna Bonner.

Gray returned for Game 1 of the Finals, but with the All-Star returning to the lineup, Canada and Bonner were rendered virtually ineffective. On Saturday, Canada finished 3 of 9 for eight points, five rebounds, seven assists and three turnovers, while Bonner had just two points in 13 minutes coming off the bench.

But in the second game, both players seemed to find their rhythm again alongside Gray. Canada had 13 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and a grueling half-court heave late in the third quarter that all but ended the game. Bonner, meanwhile, had nine points, two rebounds and four steals off the bench.

Both players are still far from their semifinal form, but getting them back into the swing of things before the move to State Farm Arena was crucial for the Dream.

Loser: infraction

Buckets were hard to come by for both teams in both finals games

The first two games of the WNBA Finals were exciting, even thrilling at times. But they are far from pretty.

In the first game, the Dream shot 33% from the field and 16% from the 3-point line, while the Valkyries shot 32% from the field and 21% from beyond. On Monday night, the Dream shot 34% from the field and 28% from outside, while the Valkyries shot 34% and 29%. It’s pretty crazy to play two final matches without any team reaching 35%. This is especially mind-boggling given the number of offensive records broken in the WNBA this season.

Sure, the Valkyries are the best defensive team in the league, and the Dreams have been the second-best defensive team in the second half of the season. So it makes sense that these weren’t shootings. But, in the future, it would be nice to see the scoreboards light up a little more.

“I know both teams defend at a very high level with a very high intensity, so you can rush your shot. They finish strong. This can be due to many factors,” said Dream coach Karl Smesko. “As long as we generate good shots, we feel good. We know we have good shooters. We know we have good attackers. So we know we can get extra possessions if we do the things we need to do. So we go back to Atlanta and we’ll have to play even better.”