Valkyries admit ‘adjusments’ needed after Dream stifle offense in Game 3 of WNBA Finals

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ATLANTA – All season long, the Golden State Valkyries‘ suffocating defense and strength-in-numbers mantra have been their silver bullet for any tribulation or adversity that’s come their way. When the going gets tough, the Valkyries have always doubled down on red, leaning into the specific identity they have taken care to cultivate and take pride in embracing amid a sporting world that seems to care only about stars and stardom. But after getting worked by the Atlanta Dream 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, falling behind in the series 2-1, it’s clear that while their defense-first, strength-in-numbers ethos has brought them all the way to one of the biggest stages in all of basketball, simply intensifying their identity is not going to be enough to keep them afloat at this juncture.

Because after a dreadful offensive performance in the Valkyries’ Game 2 loss back in San Francisco, Golden State once again was unable to generate anything substantial against an Atlanta defense that’s proven to be equally stalwart and overwhelming.

“We tried to make the adjustment in terms of taking care of the ball. I mean, 17 turnovers is just way too many,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after the loss in which they lost the turnover battle handily and once again shot less than 35.0% from the field, a mark they have yet to surpass this series.

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“We have to be a little bit more, I’d say, composed in moments of when we look to attack. It’s like looking at that next layer. And right now, it’s kind of like we’re just trying to… It’s definitely not a me thing, but it’s like, let’s see what we could continue to create for others. And I think sometimes some of our players have to put a lot on their shoulders. They want to do it for the team. Where it’s like, let’s just continue to keep trusting and moving it. And so there’s been a fine line right now that we’re kind of we’re trying to do it a little bit too much for myself or whatever. But it’s not a selfish thing. It’s like a ‘I want to do what’s right for the team. I want to help the team.'”

Valkyries’ offensive woes rearing their ugly head

Nakase’s assessment of the Golden State offense matches the eye test, and the Valkyries have looked sped up and discombobulated all series long, but especially in Game 3. Whether it was devolving into stagnated iso ball, getting gapped on their drives to the cup, or just a complete inability to create space and generate open looks, the Golden State offense could not buy a basket.

And while their defensive identity kept them in the game all the way till the third quarter, with Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini giving them signs of life when they tied the game at 48-48, the offense couldn’t keep pace with Angel Reese, and the dam eventually broke.

Star forward Gabby Williams was rendered an inefficient volume shooter, as she has been throughout this series, finishing with just 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Point guard Veronica Burton, who hasn’t seemed quite at 100% health for a while now, was passive most of the night, finishing with just three points on 1-of-7 from the field. Kiah Stokes and Kayla Thornton’s games understandably revolved around defense, but they finished with just a combined two points on 1-of-4 from the field.

The bench did better as Janelle Salaün returned to form after seeing her minutes slashed in the last several playoff games, collecting 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting. And Hayes added in a juiced-up 14 points in her own right, nearly changing the tenor of the game by doing what her teammates couldn’t: punching the paint and forcing the Dream defense to collapse.

Still, Salaün only played 12 minutes, as Nakase admittedly had a hard time finding a feel for the rotation as she searched for any kind of spark. And the other reserves got dusted on the defensive end, with Angel Reese making it her mission to destroy Aminata Gueye whenever the 24-year-old French center was matched on her.

But the Valkyries still maintained that while the offense was hard to come by, they have to narrow in on the defensive shortcomings, with Williams saying they can’t make this loss about the offense when they allowed 97 points. And to their credit, as Nakase would later point out, Golden State was late in their rotations, poor in their communication, and let the Dream uncork their offense in transition.

Simultaneously, the defense did all it could to keep the Valkyries within striking distance. It’s just that the offense could never drum up any sort of consistency to make the Dream feel any kind of pressure. Which harkens back to the hole at the center of the bagel that is the Golden State Valkyries– their offense has real, tangible limitations. And not just ones that appeared out of thin air. All season long, the one weakness of this overwhelming and magical Valkyries team has been the inability to generate good looks.

Whether that’s due to them lacking an A1, a gravitational shot creator, the offensive scheme being suboptimal, or the Valkyries lacking the right personnel, the reason doesn’t really matter. The fact of the matter is, Golden State doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with a player like Reese when she’s quite literally scoring at will. And talking crazy at them while she does it.

Can Golden State adjust?

For the first time all season, the Valkyries have a problem that cannot be solved by their overwhelming style of defense. Even if they dial it up to a thousand, the offense as it is is not efficient nor clean enough to break the Dream’s equally demoralizing method of hounding their opponents. And of greater concern is the fact that Golden State just hasn’t had the same spunk they’ve hung their hats on during this otherworldly run to the Finals. They haven’t looked like the Valkyries. If anything, the Dream are out Valkyrie-ing the Valkyries. And Golden State knows they haven’t been themselves the last two games.

“I think 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. So I think we got to get a little bit more of that [discipline & fight],” Hayes said. “About us being undisciplined, we didn’t really take care of the ball. So again, very uncharacteristic of us. We got to get back to who we are. If they bring some pressure, we just got to stay together. We’ve got to not get flustered. Just giving them all up. So I think it’s us that has to make some adjustments.”

The composure and iron-clad nerves they formed over the postseason are still etched into their DNA; there’s no denying that. But down 2-1 in the Finals, everything they’ve preached, everything they’ve learned, and all the confidence they seem to project will be put under the spotlight in what feels like a series-defining Game 4 on Saturday.

“This is just a long series. We’ve been down before,” Nakase said, citing the Valkyries’ 16-point Game 3 comeback over the Wings to save their season. “We’re resilient. We’ve done it before. They know that. And again, it’s on my shoulders. So I’ve got to figure out maybe a couple different schemes that could be a little bit more aggressive. I could be a little bit more clear on how I could make sure we’re fighting with the right units.”

At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore that emotions are intense right now. Williams, who is always a very vocal leader, was about as animated as you will ever see her in the players’ huddle right after the buzzer sounded. But that’s part of what Nakase wants her players to do as they seek some answers for Game 4.

Gabby Williams visibly animated in the huddle immediately after going down 2-1 in Atlanta, 97-71 pic.twitter.com/VSJCcZF9uI

— Ashmere (@ashmereprasad) October 22, 2026

“It’s good to have emotions. You’re human. You’re supposed to have emotions,” Nakase said. “I’m definitely a fighter. Like for me, it’s like it’s not that I’m sad or anything. It’s like now I’m excited to go look at film, be curious, and then build a better game plan to win the next game. So yeah, have emotions.”

The Valkyries’ sentiment is straightforward: feel the frustration, feel the anger, and let it flow. That’s about all they can do as they prepare for Game 4, as they’re faced with serious questions that need answering.

Related: Valkyries make unfortunate WNBA Finals history to start Game 3 vs. Dream

Related: Valkyries cite turnovers as Angel Reese, Dream dominate Game 2