The Atlanta Dream had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the WNBA Finals by protecting home court in Game 4. It didn’t look like they would get there when the Golden State Valkyries took a 16-point lead. But the Dream battled back and closed the margin. They were only down seven points with two minutes left in the fourth quarter and narrowed that gap to four points with 28.7 seconds left.
The Dream could not make shots, however, and the Valkyries came away with a 67-62 win to even out the series 2-2.
Losing like this at home is a massive missed opportunity for the Dream. As the lower seed, they had to win a game on the road. Winning on the road in the finals is never easy but it’s especially difficult in Ballhalla. The Dream took care of that early with a big Game 2 win on the road. Now that they gave up a game at one, they will have to win on the road once again, either in Game 5 or in Game 7—and, in the worst-case scenario, they might have to do it without Allisha Gray, who left the game late to get her hand checked out in the locker room.
That’s a tall task, and it stings even more considering that the Dream were just two or three made shots away from taking a 3-1 lead and giving themselves an opportunity to win the title at home. If the Dream lose the series, they will look back at this game with great regret.
It was a rough offensive game
Game 4 was an ugly match all around. The Dream shot 33% from the field and 17% from deep, while the Valkyries shot 36% from the field and made 16% of their 3-pointers. Rhyne Howard was the only Dream player who converted more than three field goals on her way to a game-high 19 points. Angel Reese went 2-of-12, Gray shot 1-for-7, and DeWanna Bonner made just one shot.
The Dream also couldn’t take care of the ball, turning it over 18 times and conceding 16 points off those turnovers. They usually excel at turning opponents over and scoring in transition but got only eight points off the Valkyries’ nine turnovers. Reese, especially, had a tough time with turnovers, committing six—just one less than the Valkyries’ five starters combined.
Really, the only bright spot offensively for the Dream besides Howard’s frequent rim attacks was Isobel Borlase. The rookie scored 10 points off the bench, but became a target defensively.
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