SAN FRANCISCO — Angel Reese bounded off the court through a shadowy tunnel at Chase Center, thumbs and index fingers flexed to form a “W” in front of her face. “Dubs in the chat,” she exclaimed. Her team had just done something no other squad had managed this postseason: beat the Valkyries in Ballhalla.
Leveling the Finals 1–1, the Dream took Game 2 in commanding fashion, downing the Valkyries 79–65 on Monday night. Atlanta sped up the tempo and flustered Golden State, scoring 24 points off 19 Valkyries turnovers (the most Natalie Nakase’s team has coughed up in a single game this season). In a contest punctuated by 14 lead changes, Reese made the difference, helping Atlanta pull away down the stretch. Finishing with 30 points and 16 rebounds, Reese joined Jonquel Jones, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson as the only players to have such a stat line in the playoffs. Reese is the youngest to achieve the feat.
