WNBA Finals: Golden State One Win From Title

The Golden State Valkyries are one victory away from winning the WNBA championship. A win in Game 6 on Thursday at Atlanta's State Farm Arena will secure the title for a team in its second season. The game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.

The series has seen a sharp reversal in momentum. Atlanta held a 2-1 lead after winning Games 2 and 3. Golden State responded with consecutive victories in Games 4 and 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. If Atlanta wins Thursday, the series moves to San Francisco for a decisive Game 7 on Halloween.

Turnovers have defined the recent results. In the first two losses, Golden State averaged 18 turnovers per game, leading to 23 points for Atlanta. In the last two wins, that number dropped to nine turnovers, which resulted in only seven points for the Dream. Atlanta's error rate rose to 17.5 per game in that stretch, gifting Golden State 18.5 points.

Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase changed the starting lineup after Game 3. She moved Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes into the starting roles while placing Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini on the bench. The coach shortened the rotation to seven players, relying heavily on Kiah Stokes, Veronica Burton, and Gabby Williams. Each of those three players has logged approximately 30 minutes per game this series.

The Valkyries have limited Angel Reese, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, in the final two games. Reese shot 2-for-12 from the field in Game 4 and 2-for-8 in Game 5. She averaged 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in the two Atlanta victories but has been held to eight points in Game 4 and seven in Game 5.

Atlanta's offense has stalled in the final two contests. Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada are averaging 14.4, 12.0, and 10.6 points respectively in the series. Gray, who is dealing with a hand injury, is shooting 34.4 percent from the field in the playoffs, down from 46.2 percent in the regular season. DeWanna Bonner has scored in single digits in all five games of the Finals.

The Dream ranked third in the league in points per game during the regular season. That scoring output has largely disappeared in the championship series. The Valkyries, ranked 14th in scoring, have thrived in low-scoring games. They have controlled the pace of the last two games, using patience to wear down Atlanta's defense before taking open shots.