Dream on the ropes as they fall to Valkyries in Game 5
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Dream have one more shot to keep their WNBA Finals hopes alive. They fell to the Valkyries 64-55 in Game 5 on Monday night at the Chase Center.
They did not have the recipe to steal one on the road, shooting 29.2% from the field and 23.1% from 3-point range.
Quick stats: Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Angel Reese had seven points and 15 rebounds.
Monday’s Game 5 between the Dream and the Valkyries had the fewest first-half points in a WNBA Finals game. They combined for 67 first-half points.
Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes now has six straight games with 3+ blocks, tying Lisa Leslie (2003) for the longest single-postseason streak in WNBA history.
Stokes, along with Veronica Burton, had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Gabby Williams finished with 12 points.
Key moment
The Dream had the game within a few possessions with 7:42 to play. But they lost Stokes, and she rotated out to the corner. The Dream left her wide-open, and Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini found her.
Stokes knocked down the 3, putting the Valkyries up 52-42, their largest lead of the game.
The 3 blew the roof off Ballhalla as the Valkyries took firm control.
Highlight play
Defense wins championships, but the Dream struggled to generate offense. When they did, it came off tough buckets from their All-WNBA wing.
With 4:59 to play in the third quarter, Howard isolated Williams, drove to the elbow and pulled up for a midrange jumper.
It pulled the Dream within four.
What they said
“Making sure that we believe that we can get there. Like right now, 3-2. Our backs are against the wall. But when we get to go home and play in front of our home crowd again, and being able to get a couple of days of rest and get back to Atlanta Dream basketball, I feel good about ourselves.” - Reese on the Dream’s message heading into Game 6.
" I just hit more shots tonight than I have in the past, but there’s not anybody on the team who hasn’t poured into me. Everybody’s been keeping each other confident, and I think for me personally, I just can read the game when we set good screens, when you move the ball with pace, when we’re you know making quick decisions that allows for easier and open shots." - Howard on her hot offensive night.
“She has great length. She has great instincts. She’s really good at, you know, protecting the rim. You know, we just got to get her moving a little bit more. Make it a little bit harder for her to just pack it in the paint, but you know, give her credit. She’s having a great series, and she made some shots today, which were also big for them.” - Dream coach Karl Smesko on what makes Stokes difficult to guard.
“Yes. To your question, defense wins championships, and just again, we just talk about leveling up in the playoffs, like especially in the Finals, it’s just like from Dallas to Vegas. It’s like, how can we go one more?” - Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase on what she likes about the team’s defense.
Up next
The series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 matinee action Thursday at State Farm Arena.