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Trailing in the series, and in hostile territory, the reeling Golden State Valkyries needed a response after consecutive losses.
And they got exactly that.
After taking Game 1 at home, Golden State dropped Game 2 at Chase Center before losing the first of two games at State Farm Arena in Game 3, and looked to get even with the Atlanta Dream in Game 4 before heading back home to Chase Center for Game 5 on Monday.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase deployed a lineup of Kaila Charles, Tiffany Hayes, Kiah Stokes, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton on Saturday against Atlanta's starting unit of Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon and Angel Reese.
Golden State started cold offensively before finding its groove to close out the first frame.
Gabby with the smooth middy 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/vh8ztZXAI0
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Cecilia knocks down a corner triple 🎯 pic.twitter.com/vgjeUx6h7O
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Charles (5 points) and Cecilia Zandalasini (5) led Golden State in scoring in the first frame, with Stokes (4), Janelle Salaün (2) and Williams (2) chipping in points of their own.
Notably, during the Valkyries' mid-first-quarter run, Gray put herself in foul trouble with three in the first frame alone, forcing her to Atlanta's bench earlier than anticipated.
The Dream's defense, though, was able to stop multiple Golden State runs with some ferocious blocks at the rim.
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The Valkyries then started to pull away in the second quarter, leading by as many as 16 with 1:30 remaining in the half before closing out the second quarter by the same margin.
After 20 in ATL ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Pk9f9jY89A
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) October 24, 2026
Tough bucket from Ja 😤 pic.twitter.com/j1rZkcJjn5
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) October 24, 2026
Burton from WAY downtown 😳 pic.twitter.com/7TQZdCgh0H
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) October 24, 2026
The second quarter was the Williams show, with Golden State's star dominating on both sides of the ball and leading the way with 9 points in the frame for a total of 11 in the game with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 17 first-half minutes.
She finished the game with a productive 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, but on an underwhelming 7-of-21 shooting from the field and 0 of 6 from 3-point range.
Gabby defense ➡️ offense pic.twitter.com/3OCE5h3iGK
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) October 24, 2026
Burton recorded 7 points, with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 20 minutes, while Zandalasini had 10 points with 1 rebound, 1 assist and 3 steals.
The Valkyries' elite defense also forced 13 Atlanta turnovers in the first half, which led to 16 Golden State points.
However, the third quarter, as it has been in this series and throughout the playoffs for Atlanta, was all Dream.
Atlanta quickly chipped away at Golden State's 16-point lead, trimming the deficit to six points after a 14-4 run, capped off by a big 3-pointer from Isobel Borlase with 4:26 remaining in the quarter.
The Dream are fighting back 👌
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 24, 2026
Isobel Borlase caps off a 14-4 run by ATL with a shot from behind the arc
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The Dream outscored Golden State 19-12 in the third quarter, cutting the Valkyries' lead to nine points entering the final frame.
With momentum on their side, Atlanta continued to cut into Golden State's lead in the fourth, with stars from both sides taking over, as Canada and Howard for the Dream and Williams and Thornton for the Valkyries showed out in the frame's opening minutes.
Reese, however, struggled mightily all game, especially down the stretch. In 34 minutes, Reese scored just 8 points with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks on 2-of-12 shooting from the field.
Back-to-back buckets from Hayes midway through the fourth quarter pushed Golden State's lead back to double figures, 61-51, with 5:28 remaining before the offense sputtered from there on out.
Tiff Hayes taking over 🤩 pic.twitter.com/PBw5sk3Lvr
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) October 24, 2026
Atlanta continued to put up a fight until the final buzzer, outscoring Golden State 11-6 over the final five minutes of action before Hayes put the game in her hands to cap off another stellar performance in a 67-62 win.
ALL TIED UP.
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) October 24, 2026
SAY IT WITH US, VALKS WIN 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/z4XoxHufD8
Hayes finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in 25 minutes, while Burton finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks on 4-of-17 shooting from the field and 2 of 7 from 3-point range in a game-high 38 minutes on the court.
With the five-point victory, the Valkyries improved to 5-1 in clutch-time playoff games this season.
Golden State will now return home with a chance to take a 3-2 series lead with a Game 5 win on Monday at Chase Center.