The 2026 WNBA Finals are building toward a historic conclusion, with the Atlanta Dream holding a 2-1 series advantage over the Golden State Valkyries after a dominant 97-71 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Regardless of who wins, a first-time champion is guaranteed — neither franchise has ever lifted the trophy, and the Valkyries are only in their second season of existence after debuting as an expansion team in 2025.

The Dream's turnaround has been striking. They dropped Game 1 in San Francisco by four points, extending a historically grim run of 0-and-10 in all WNBA Finals appearances across franchise history. Since then, however, Atlanta has won back-to-back games by increasingly commanding margins — 14 points in Game 2 and then 26 in Game 3. The engine of their surge has been Angel Reese, who has recorded three consecutive double-doubles in the Finals, becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to achieve that feat while also posting a 30-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 2.

The Valkyries, who swept the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in the semi-finals, have now committed 19 turnovers in each of the last two games, with Atlanta converting those miscues into 22 points in Game 3 alone. Golden State's Gabby Williams, the game-high scorer in Game 1 with 26 points, has been less dominant since, and the team's coaching staff acknowledged a sense of "urgency" following the back-to-back losses.

Game 4 tips off Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, where the Dream will have the chance to move within one win of the franchise's first championship. The Valkyries, with home court still available if the series returns to San Francisco, will need a road win to keep their title hopes alive.