Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, October 21st, 5:00pm, State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
Broadcast Information: USA/CNBC (full national), Peacock (streaming)
The Golden State Valkyries visit the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. With the teams splitting the first two games, both sides will be trying to grab the early advantage in the series. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday so that the squads could get an extra day for travel across the country. It was moved to Wednesday so that the Dream could move the game to a larger arena in Atlanta, their home for next season. As a result, the teams will get a little bit more rest for the next game there on Saturday. USA and CNBC will carry the broadcast along with the Peacock streaming service.
The Valkyries
There was no surprise player news for either team on the initial injury report, so the Valkyries still have all of their options available as they try to bounce back from a loss in the last game. The rotation has tightened with key players playing increasing minutes, but they will still have had more rest than the opposition, which they will be hoping is an edge later in the game. Golden State tried a few more different lineups as they continue to work on figuring out how best to counter the more set groupings that Atlanta has fielded and are likely to continue to try to play ten players in the first half and then adjust from there.
On offense, the turnovers ended up being excessive and a major factor in the result. The Valkyries will be looking to avoid some of the poor decisions and careless moves that helped the opposition, but they know that they will be facing a team trying to generate steals and fastbreak offense. Atlanta continues to be well-equipped to stop what the Valkyries are planning on offense so it may come down to the ability for Golden State to hit some difficult shots while still hunting for favorable matchups that allow players to attack off of the dribble.
On defense, fouling ended up being an issue as the Dream were able to get to the free throw line frequently while their field goal percentage was not particularly great. Some of the defensive matchups have been pretty clear and consistent, but the Valkyries will continue to have decisions to make on which players are the biggest threats. They have generally been able to defend with single coverage in the post, but Angel Reese was at her best in the last game and there may be a need to send help in halfcourt sets to disrupt timing.
The Opposition
Atlanta was able to do more of what they wanted to do on defense in the last game, helping fuel their offense. Angel Reese was amazing for them as they were able to get the win even with some of their rotation players struggling, which should be a concern to the Valkyries. While they did make a first quarter substitution gambit to see how Golden State would respond, they mostly stuck with their main seven player group and tried to get the most minutes possible for their starters. That will likely be the plan for them again as it has worked well for them so far. The Dream played six regular season games in Atlanta with a 3-3 record and won all three of their playoff games there.
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