Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream kept their championship hopes alive Thursday.
asserted
Reese → keep → hopes
Perhaps more importantly, they spared the WNBA a title celebration in the middle of a workday.
asserted
they → spar → workday
The Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 at State Farm Arena, evening the best-of-seven Finals at 3-3 and forcing a deciding game Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco.
asserted
Dream → beat → Francisco
Reese struggled to shoot the ball for a third consecutive game, finishing with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
asserted
Reese → struggle → shooting
She grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out six assists but also committed six turnovers.
asserted
She → grab → turnovers
That made it three straight games with more turnovers than made field goals for the Dream star.
asserted
it → make → star
Across Games 4, 5 and 6, Reese shot 9-for-38 from the floor (24%) and turned the ball over 15 times.
asserted
Reese → shoot → ball
This time, Atlanta had enough offense around her.
asserted
Atlanta → have → her
Allisha Gray scored 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21, combining to make nine of their 13 three-point attempts.
asserted
Howard → score → attempts
Their shooting also ensured that the WNBA’s championship would be decided in prime time.
asserted
championship → ensure → time
The league moved Game 6 from its originally scheduled 8 p.m. start to 12:30 p.m. Thursday to accommodate an arena doubleheader with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, who were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers that night.
asserted
who → move → Cavaliers
Golden State fans back home had to tune in at 9:30 a.m. to watch their team try to win its first title.
asserted
team → have → title
There had also been questions about where the Valkyries would celebrate if they won.
asserted
they → celebrate → ?
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that a championship celebration could be moved to a practice court to accommodate preparations for the Hawks game.
uncertain
celebration → report → game
She later clarified that there was "a resolve" to make sure any championship won Thursday was celebrated on the court.
asserted
championship → clarify → court
But that sounded an awful lot like damage control from the WNBA.
asserted
that → sound → WNBA
Winning a championship and then moving the celebration to a practice court because the NBA needed the floor would have been a terrible look for the league.
asserted
NBA → win → league
Atlanta’s win made the issue moot.
asserted
issue → make → ?
The crowd deserved credit for showing up under the circumstances.
asserted
crowd → deserve → circumstances
State Farm Arena was largely filled for a Thursday afternoon, although there were more empty seats and the building was quieter at the start than it had been for Games 3 and 4.
asserted
it → fill → Games
Fans who spoke with OutKick outside the arena described taking time off work, pulling children out of school and difficult travel times to attend.
asserted
who → speak → school
Tiffany Hayes’ father, Renard Hayes, blamed the league and Atlanta for the scheduling predicament.
asserted
father → blame → predicament
Before tipoff, both teams again left the court for the national anthem, this time performed by rapper T.I.’s 10-year-old daughter, Heiress Harris.
asserted
teams → leave → daughter
Once the game began, Atlanta quickly took control.
asserted
Atlanta → begin → control
The Dream made six of their eight first-quarter three-point attempts and built a 32-15 lead.
asserted
Dream → make → lead
Reese made only one of her four shots in the period, but contributed four assists, including passes that set up three of Atlanta’s threes.
asserted
that → make → threes
Atlanta pushed its advantage to 25 points in the second quarter and took a 46-26 lead into halftime.
asserted
Atlanta → push → halftime
Golden State narrowed the deficit in the third, but Atlanta still led 63-47 entering the fourth.
asserted
Atlanta → narrow → fourth
Reese scored five points in the final period, making a driving layup and a three-pointer with Atlanta already leading by double digits.
asserted
Atlanta → score → digits
She finished 2-for-8 from beyond the arc.
asserted
She → finish → arc
The Valkyries eventually got within eight.
asserted
Valkyries → get → eight
Gabby Williams completed a three-point play with 1:15 remaining, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 77-69 and fouling Howard out of the game.
asserted
Williams → complete → game
Gray answered on the next possession, making a three-pointer off a Reese assist with 56 seconds left.
asserted
Gray → answer → seconds
That restored Atlanta’s double-digit lead and provided the final points of the afternoon.
asserted
That → restore → afternoon
Gray finished 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 from three.
asserted
Gray → finish → three
Howard made four of her six three-point attempts, while Atlanta went 13-for-30 as a team.
asserted
Atlanta → make → team
Williams led Golden State with 26 points but shot 8-for-22.
asserted
Williams → lead → points
The Valkyries made just 22 of their 70 field-goal attempts.
asserted
Valkyries → make → attempts
Kiah Stokes, whose defense had been a major factor throughout the series, went scoreless and failed to block a shot in 20 minutes.
asserted
defense → go → minutes
That ended her streak of six consecutive playoff games with at least three blocks.
asserted
That → end → blocks
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
