SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 19: Gabby Williams #1 of the Golden State Valkyries drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Dream during Game Two of the 2026 WNBA Finals on October 19, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brianna Ali/NBAE via Getty Images)
Valkyries Insider is presented by The IX Sports
Jordin Canada saw Angel Reese mouth “give me the f—ing ball.” So she did.
Reese made 10 of her 16 attempts, scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds despite picking up five fouls. She became the sixth player, and the youngest, in WNBA playoff history to score 30 points and grab more than 15 rebounds in a game and the third to ever do so in the Finals.
“I was hungry. I wanted Game 1 and I think we let one slip away,” Reese said. “We felt disappointed. We felt embarrassed.”
In Atlanta’s Game 2 victory, Reese took over the game as Golden State struggled to hold onto the ball and couldn’t get any offense going.
“I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” Reese said. “So I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark and do whatever I could to get the win. And I think I did that.
“I bring a lot of energy in the locker room, if it’s just a joke, or talking s—. Whatever the team needed tonight I was willing to do.”
Her energy changed the game though, too. She grabbed four offensive rebounds to give Atlanta extra possessions. She grabbed two blocks. And she was all over the floor as the Dream’s emotional leader in what became a must-win game.
Subscribe to Valkyries Beat to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of Valkyries Beat to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
UpgradeA subscription gets you:
- Access to Discord/community chat
- Access to several exclusive stories every week
- Discount code to The IX Sports
- Weekly reading list and mailbag