NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
Gabby Williams shared emotional words with the team immediately after their 97-71 loss in Atlanta on Wednesday night. Williams, the team’s leading scorer with 15 points, looked visibly frustrated all game. Golden State fell into another matchup where the offense couldn’t hit shots, and the Dream made every one.
Gabby Williams visibly animated in the huddle immediately after going down 2-1 in Atlanta, 97-71 https://t.co/VSJCcZF9uI
— Ashmere (@ashmereprasad) October 22, 2026
After the scheduling and arena chaos Atlanta went through last week, the fans did their due diligence and sold-out State Farm Arena. The fans were rowdy, loud, and swinging their rally towels the entire game. The arena host said they wanted to match Ballhalla’s energy, and I think they did. They roared for every possession, stayed on their feet, and chanted ‘Let’s go Dream!’ all game.
The Dream started with a 6-0 run and forced a turnover in the first three minutes; the arena erupted. They pushed the tempo, drove downhill, and hit some easy layups. Atlanta was connected from the start and quickly forced the Valkyries to play their quick style.
Golden State started the third quarter tied at 48 thanks to back-to-back triples from Cecilia Zandalasini. On the first, Williams drove into the paint and pulled three defenders her way, leaving Zandalasini wide open in the corner. Williams then drove coast-to-coast and, on a 1-on-1 with Naz Hillmon, drove to the hoop for a layup. Zandalasini’s second three: Williams passed her the ball; she faked right, side-stepped, threw Allisha Gray off balance, and created an open look.
This sequence was part of the Valkyries’ recipe for success all season: force turnovers, drive to the basket, kick it out, and get open looks at the arc. That hasn’t been the case these last two games. The defense was constantly scrambling to find the right player to guard and gave up too many downhill plays.
“Our discipline and our fight…This game they wanted it more than us and that’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been and that’s not how we got here,” Hayes said postgame. “We gotta get a little bit more of that in our tank.”
Turnovers and Scoring Woes
Golden State is shooting 33.67% from the field over the last three games, with Williams leading the team, averaging 18.3 PPG. The offense has had trouble getting into a scoring rhythm and has shown hesitancy in driving to the basket. This team relies on its defense to generate good looks on offense, but it hasn’t had the chance to set things up as it’d like since Game 1.
Janelle Salaun sparked off the bench in the first half with 11 points and went 3-of-4 from the arc. She kept the score close and helped on defense. Salaun played a total of nine minutes in the last two Finals games and put it all on the floor for Game 3. It was nice to see Salaun get back into a rhythm. After the Dream went on two scoring runs in the third, the Valkyries’ defense fell apart and stopped generating the shots they usually hit.
Frustration set in, and they forced passes in tough situations, turning them into turnovers. In Game 2, they allowed 24 points off 19 turnovers; tonight, they committed 17 turnovers for 22 points. The Valkyries pride themselves on maintaining composure and taking care of the ball.
When asked about the issues on defense, Natalie Nakase said, “We weren’t communicating; we were kinda just late on certain rotations, which is just uncharacteristic. I have to figure out and talk to them; I think more listening to them individually rather than groups of, like, ‘are we confusing you guys in the game plan?’ If so, how can I be more clear? At the end of the day, they are only going to follow my voice and follow my leadership. If something is unclear, then that’s on me.”
There were a few moments when Golden State cut the lead to four points, but the Dream would push the ball down the court and hit a layup, or a defender would be in the wrong spot, leaving someone open.
But as Nakasae said to the team, this is a long series. This series has also tested the second-year team in ways they haven’t been tested before. They’re facing a team with a defensive mindset like their own; The Dream have forced the Valkyries to take tough shots, turn the ball over, and follow up with mistakes on defense. They lose their composure and begin to unravel. In their last two losses, Golden State has shown that when they play team basketball, they’re too quick to contain.
For Game 4, Golden State has a few days to rest, recover, and review the film. Multiple players have said they enjoy this kind of pressure with their backs against the wall. They have work to do, but this team has overcome large deficits and costly mistakes in the past, and they’ll look to make those changes ahead of Saturday.
