SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries survived a furious challenge from the Atlanta Dream on Friday night at Chase Center, escaping with a narrow 78-75 victory that required every bit of their home-court resolve. The three-point margin barely tells the story of a game that was contested fiercely from wire to wire.
Gabby Williams led all scorers for Golden State, pouring in a game-high 16 points to pace the Valkyries’ offense. Tiffany Hayes orchestrated the attack from the backcourt, distributing a team-best five assists, while Janelle Salaun anchored the interior with a team-leading seven rebounds. The trio’s collective contributions proved just enough to keep Atlanta at bay in what became a grinding, physical contest.
For the Dream, Jordin Canada was nothing short of spectacular. The guard erupted for 23 points — the most by any player on either side — and added two assists in a performance that nearly carried Atlanta to a road upset. Canada’s scoring output kept the Dream competitive throughout, and her ability to create her own shot put constant pressure on the Valkyries’ defense. Angel Reese was a force on the glass for Atlanta, hauling in 12 rebounds to give the Dream second-chance opportunities that kept them within striking distance.
Atlanta’s shooting struggles, however, ultimately proved too steep a hill to climb. The Dream connected on just 23 of 67 field goal attempts, a 34 percent clip that left far too many possessions empty. From beyond the arc, Atlanta was equally cold, hitting only 6 of 20 three-point tries for a 30 percent rate. The Dream were kept alive largely by their free-throw line production, converting 23 of 27 attempts at an 85 percent clip — a number that speaks to how often Golden State was forced to foul to prevent easy buckets.
Turnovers compounded Atlanta’s shooting woes. The Dream surrendered the ball 14 times over the course of the game, a costly total that gave Golden State repeated opportunities to extend or protect its lead. Despite those giveaways, Atlanta’s defense generated 14 steals and four blocks, demonstrating that the Dream were engaged and competitive on that end of the floor — they simply could not convert enough on offense to overcome their shooting inefficiency.
Atlanta managed 27 total rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, which helped generate extra possessions. But Golden State’s defense stiffened when it mattered most, and the Valkyries made just enough plays down the stretch to preserve the win.
The victory at Chase Center gives Golden State a meaningful result as the 2026 WNBA season continues to take shape. For the Dream, Canada’s 23-point effort and Reese’s double-digit rebounding performance offer genuine building blocks, but a 34 percent shooting night on 67 attempts is a difficult formula to overcome against any opponent, let alone one playing in front of its home crowd.
The Valkyries will look to carry this momentum forward, while Atlanta will need to find greater shooting consistency if it hopes to turn close losses like this one into victories.
