The Golden State Valkyries are now just one step away from making history. After dropping Game 2 in front of their home crowd, they got their revenge by beating the Atlanta Dream on their home floor in Game 4 before returning to Chase Center to secure a Game 5 win and take a 3-2 series lead. But with their first championship still one win away, Golden State knows the job is far from finished. Head coach Natalie Nakase made that clear in the locker room, reminding her players that taking care of business in Game 5 was only part of the job.
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“We did what we were supposed to do, and now we got to get the next one, okay?” Nakase told her team, as per an X post by USA Sports.
She then turned to Gabby Williams to see if the veteran had anything to add. And Williams certainly did.
“Don’t relax! Don’t relax. We got another level,” Williams said, firing up her teammates as the locker room erupted in energy and gathered in a huddle.
The Valkyries already showed in Game 4 that it could make life difficult for Atlanta, but Game 5 took that defensive intensity to another level. Williams and her teammates held the Dream to just 55 points, their lowest scoring total of the season, and turned what was expected to be a tightly contested battle into another opportunity to showcase the identity Natalie Nakase has built throughout the year.
Neither team found much room to operate early as Golden State shot just 30% from the field in the first half, while Atlanta struggled even more at 23.5%. The Valkyries ended up carrying a narrow 25-22 lead into the break, marking the first time in WNBA Finals history that both teams scored 25 points or fewer in a first half. It was hardly an offensive showcase, but Golden State was comfortable making the game a physical, possession-by-possession battle.
So the real difference came after halftime. Kiah Stokes gave the Valkyries a much-needed offensive lift, knocking down three 3-pointers while finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Veronica Burton and Ceci Zandalasini also helped Golden State create separation, allowing the home team to carry a 46-40 advantage into the fourth quarter before gradually pulling away.
The Valkyries never allowed Atlanta to find a consistent rhythm. They forced 15 turnovers and continued crowding the paint, making every scoring opportunity difficult for the Dream.
Angel Reese’s struggles were another major part of Atlanta’s offensive problems. After delivering dominant performances in Games 2 and 3, the Dream forward has had a much harder time finding her footing over the past two games. She scored five points in the first quarter of Game 5 but went scoreless in the second before managing just two more points after halftime.
Reese finished with eight points on 2-of-8 shooting, along with 15 rebounds, four fouls, and three turnovers. She did not attempt a 3-pointer, and although her work on the glass remained valuable, Golden State limited her scoring impact when Atlanta needed it most.
Yet even with a performance like that, Natalie Nakase knows Atlanta will be a different challenge on its home floor.
“Understand there’s a team out there that wants it just as bad, right? So, you cannot overlook that,” the coach said during her post-game interview. “Okay, yeah, we did our job here, but now it’s about getting our rest and recovery because we have to level up. That’s going to be a very ruthless Atlanta team that really wants it just as much. You can never count them out.”
“They’re well coached. They’re well balanced. They have dogs. They have great leadership. So we got to go in that mindset of being mentally tough and being more connected than ever. We have to fight to our best ability coming next game in Atlanta,” she further added.
The Valkyries now have the momentum with a 64-55 win and a chance to finish the job in Game 6. And with the message in the locker room clear that the team cannot afford to ease up with the championship within reach, Golden State has every reason to believe it can close out the series. But they still need one more win to make history.