Atlanta Dream v Golden State Valkyries: WNBA finals 2026 Game 1 – live updates
5m ago 21.34 BST Dream 37-42 Valkyries, 1.28, 2nd quarter Gabby Williams has taken over! After going scoreless in the opening quarter, the Golden State
5m ago 21.34 BST Dream 37-42 Valkyries, 1.28, 2nd quarter Gabby Williams has taken over! After going scoreless in the opening quarter, the Golden State star has sparked a remarkable turnaround, scoring seven unanswered points in just over a minute to give the Valkyries their first lead since 14-3. Williams tied the game with a driving layup, buried a three-pointer after Tiffany Hayes stole an errant Angel Reese pass, then picked off Jordin Canada and raced away for another basket. That’s a 10-0 Golden State run since Atlanta led 37-32 and Chase Center is rocking. The Dream, who led by as many as 10 points, suddenly cannot buy a bucket. Share Updated at 21.38 BST 11m ago 21.28 BST Dream 37-35 Valkyries, 4.36, 2nd quarter Golden State continue to chip away at Atlanta’s lead, with Kaila Charles scoring on a putback after Laeticia Amihere split a pair of free throws. The Dream have gone cold offensively, missing their last three shots and committing a turnover, although Naz Hillmon came up with a big block on Veronica Burton. Atlanta still lead 37-35, but Karl Smesko has seen enough and calls timeout with 2.40 to go until the intermission. Share Updated at 21.33 BST 17m ago 21.22 BST Dream 35-32 Valkyries, 4.36, 2nd quarter Golden State are finding their footing now. Gabby Williams has come alive after a scoreless first quarter, knocking down another three-pointer and a pull-up jumper, while Cecilia Zandalasini has chipped in five points. The Valkyries have clawed their way back into this one, but Atlanta are holding firm thanks to baskets from Isobel Borlase and Rhyne Howard. Angel Reese will shoot two free throws coming out of the official timeout. View image in fullscreen Atlanta’s DeWanna Bonner is guarded by Golden State’s Kiah Stokes during the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA finals at Chase Center. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Share 23m ago 21.15 BST Dream 29-20 Valkyries, 7.13, 2nd quarter Golden State have shown signs of life to start the second quarter, with Gabby Williams knocking down her first shot of the night and Kiah Stokes adding a bucket inside. But Allisha Gray has answered at the other end, ratting off seven quick points, including a 28-footer to keep Atlanta in front. Share Updated at 21.16 BST 29m ago 21.09 BST End of 1st quarter: Dream 22-14 Valkyries Atlanta trailed 14-11 after Chen’s three-pointer with 2:48 remaining, but Golden State failed to score again.
Reese took over, scoring nine of Atlanta’s final 11 points. She converted two layups to put the Dream ahead 15-14, added another inside, split a pair of free throws and finished with a driving finger-roll layup with 13.8 seconds left. Gray contributed two free throws as Golden State missed their final five shots. The numbers tell the story of Golden State’s offensive struggles. The Valkyries shot just 28.6% from the field and a miserable one-for-11 from three-point range. Gabby Williams missed all four of her attempts, while Kiah Stokes supplied three blocked shots at the other end. Atlanta, meanwhile, shot 45% from the floor and outscored Golden State 16-10 in the paint. An emphatic opening statement from the visitors, who have silenced Ballhalla for the time being. View image in fullscreen Atlanta’s Angel Reese finished the first quarter with 11 points on five-of-six shooting. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP Share Updated at 21.10 BST 39m ago 20.59 BST Dream 11-14 Valkyries, 2.48, 1st quarter Kaitlyn Chen banks in a 24-footer for three to give the Valkyries their first lead of the game while extending a run of nine unanswered points over the last two and a half minutes. Share Updated at 21.04 BST 45m ago 20.53 BST Dream 11-7 Valkyries, 4.57, 1st quarter Bonner makes an immediate impact with a running lay-up while Burton continues to carry the scoring load for Golden State. Valks are within four at the first official timeout. Share 48m ago 20.51 BST Dream 7-5 Valkyries, 6.59, 1st quarter Atlanta sprint out to a 7-2 lead behind an Allisha Gray lay-up, a Naz Hillmon three and an Angel Reese lay-up off a Jordin Canada assist. But Verona Burton closes it to 7-5 with an old-fashioned three-point play. Atlanta makes the first sub of the game as the ageless DeWanna Bonner enters the game for Hillmon. Share 53m ago 20.45 BST Starting lineups We should be under way any moment now at Ballhalla. Here are the starters for both teams. Atlanta Dream PG: Jordin Canada (#3) SG: Allisha Gray (#15) SF: Rhyne Howard (#10) PF: Naz Hillmon (#00) C: Angel Reese (#5) Golden State Valkyries PG: Veronica Burton (#22) SG: Cecilia Zandalasini (#24) SF: Gabby Williams (#1) PF: Kayla Thornton (#5) C: Kiah Stokes (#41) Share Updated at 20.46 BST 1h ago 20.31 BST As the WNBA finals tip off, the league finds itself at the center of a rightwing campaign targeting transgender athletes – despite having no trans players.
But its deeply rooted LGBTQ+ fanbase is pushing back, turning arenas and sports bars into spaces of resistance and solidarity. From New York to San Francisco, fans are fighting to preserve the inclusive spirit that has long defined women’s basketball. double quotation mark The scene at Wilka’s, where a sign reading “trans people belong in sports” hangs prominently behind the bar, exemplifies much of the WNBA fanbase, which, like the league itself, is heavily queer. But many wouldn’t know that from reading recent headlines about the league. Since the summer, the WNBA has become the target of rightwing activists pushing their agenda to ban trans women and girls from sports. The league has no explicit rule barring or permitting trans women and there are no trans women in the WNBA. In response, many of the league’s players and fans have made clear they don’t align with anti-trans rhetoric. Several players, like the Chicago Sky’s Natasha Cloud and the Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams, have voiced their support for the trans community; Williams said in May that she would “welcome” a trans teammate anytime. Fans, too, have loudly pushed back – holding rallies, bringing signs into the games and even defending their sports bars, meant as a safe space for women and LGBTQ+ fans, from aggression. As the WNBA finals between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries tip off Saturday, the pro-trans, pro-Black, pro-queer fanbase wants to remind others of the original ethos of women’s sports: inclusion and community. “It’s not about protecting women’s sports,” Allie, another Liberty fan at Wilka’s who asked to go by their first name, said about the anti-trans backlash facing the WNBA. ”And I feel better knowing the fact that the majority of the fanbase is standing up, saying: ‘No, this isn’t right.’” The right is pushing its anti-trans fury on the WNBA. Players and fans are loudly pushing back Read more Share 2h ago 20.08 BST Angel Reese insists the occasion won’t overwhelm Atlanta as the Dream prepare for their first WNBA finals appearance in 13 years – even if the atmosphere inside Golden State’s famously raucous Chase Center promises to be something special. “Not really,” Reese said Friday when asked whether the finals felt different from previous playoff games. “I think all of us have been in a stage where we played for some type of championship or played for something at a high stake.” The WNBA’s defensive player of the year did, however, acknowledge the challenge of playing in front of the Valkyries’ passionate home crowd.
“I know the environment in Ballhalla is great. The energy is great. They have great fan support. They love women’s basketball here and what they’ve been able to do in a year and a half, two years is really cool to see.” View image in fullscreen Atlanta’s Angel Reese looks on before Game 1. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Veteran DeWanna Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion, has been urging her younger teammates to savor the experience without changing their approach. “Don’t change anything. Do what got you here,” Bonner said. “You never know when you’re going to get back here again. It’s really hard to get back here again, so also make sure you’re having fun out there and soaking it all in.” For Rhyne Howard, the moment is a measure of just how far Atlanta have come. “Nobody thought that we would make it to the finals, and we’re doing that, we’re achieving that,” she said. “We set out goals long before this year, and it’s finally coming to fruition.” Share 2h ago 19.50 BST Atlanta's Allisha Gray expected to play Atlanta guard Allisha Gray could return from a finger injury for today’s game with coach Karl Smesko optimistic about her availability. Gray, the team’s leading scorer during the regular season at 19.0 points per game, missed the final two games of the Dream’s semi-final sweep of New York after injuring the ring finger on her shooting hand. She participated in light practice Friday. “She’s going to go through the workout today. Everything’s trending in the right direction,” Smesko said during Saturday’s pre-game availability. “It’s a hand injury, so if she can go I don’t expect there to be anything [limiting] other than if she has trouble with it during the game.” View image in fullscreen Atlanta’s Allisha Gray warms up before Game 1 of the WNBA finals in San Francisco on Saturday. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP Share
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