Date, Time, and Location: Monday, October 19th, 5:0pm, Chase Center
Broadcast Information: USA/CNBC/E! (full national), Peacock (streaming)
The Golden State Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream again on Monday in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. They will be looking to double their lead before they hit the road for two games while the visitors will be trying to build some momentum before they get their first chance to host on Wednesday. After a close first game, both teams will be looking to make the moves to secure the advantage this time. Three different channels will carry the game since they are under the same ownership in USA, CNBC, and E! while Peacock will be the streaming home as it is for all games in this series as a result of the broadcast deal before the entities were separated.
The Valkyries
There was worry about the injury report for the Valkyries after Tiffany Hayes could not finish the game and Gabby Williams also got hurt, but no players are listed on their initial injury report. With a number of different options, it did take some time for the Valkyries to settle on a substitution that countered the opposition as well as possible. Even though Golden State ended up tightening the rotation in the second half, they are still likely to continue to work in the rest of the main group early to see if there are ways to generate more matchup advantages.
Laeticia Amihere cemented herself as the best choice for backup center minutes when Kiah Stokes is not in the game. While keeping a true post player in at all times is a good plan, the Valkyries did look to deploy smaller lineups in other ways as Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini both had successful stretches as the primary defender on whoever was playing power forward for the Dream at the time.
The Opposition
Even after the first game loss, it may be a bit soon for Atlanta to go deeper in their bench or try drastic changes as they tested the Valkyries throughout the game. The management of their bench minutes allowed them to maintain a lineup that made it hard for the Golden State offense, but they will need those players for extra offensive punch and to keep the starters fresh. Allisha Gray is not listed on the injury report at all after returning to the lineup for the last game.
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