WNBA Finals: Kiah Stokes, Valkyries shut down Dream in Game 5 to get within a win of first championship

The Golden State Valkyries are just a win away from their first WNBA title.The Valkyries shut down Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream on Monday night in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. They secured a tough 64-55 win over the Dream at the Chase Center, which gives them a 3-2 lead in the series ahead of Game 6 on Thursday in Georgia. If the Valkyries can win once more and secure a WNBA title, it would be a remarkable feat considering this is just the franchise's second season.Neither team shot well in the first half on Monday night. They combined to shoot just 5 of 29 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes, and the Valkyries made only a single field goal in the final seven minutes of the game. But they managed to hold the Dream to just eight points in the second quarter, which allowed them to maintain a narrow three-point lead at the break, 25-22.Reese missed a good chunk of the first half, too, after she picked up two fouls early. But she still entered the locker room with five points and 10 rebounds. The 47 combined points made it the lowest-scoring first half in WNBA Finals history.The offense picked up in the third quarter, but neither team was able to separate much. Kiah Stokes was a dominant force inside and out through the first three quarters. The Eastern Iowa native helped shut down Reese inside and picked up three blocks while leading the Valkyries with a pair of 3-pointers. But Golden State only managed a six-point lead at the final break, at 46-40.Stokes' jumper is PURE 🧊She cashes in from the corner off the Hayes assist pic.twitter.com/zwl2zZd7gH— WNBA (@WNBA) October 27, 2026 Stokes did it again early in the fourth quarter, this time from the opposite corner. The 3-point bucket, her third of the night, gave the Valkyries a 10-point lead, their largest of the game at the time.That was part of a 16-6 burst to start the final quarter, and the Dream never got close enough to make a real push again. Golden State held on the rest of the way to secure the nine-point win.Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 20 points and five rebounds. Jordin Canada added 12 points, and Allisha Gray finished with 10 points. They were the only three players to hit double figures for Atlanta. Reese scored just two points in the second half, and had seven points and 15 rebounds on the night. The Dream shot a season-low 29.2% from the field and committed 17 turnovers.Stokes led the Valkyries with 13 points and eight rebounds. She now has six straight games with at least three blocks, which matches Lisa Leslie's postseason record from 2003. Stokes couldn't even get through her on-court interview after the win, as fans at the Chase Center started overpowering her with her name and "MVP!" chants."Shoutout to my teammates, I can't hear anything" 🔊Ballhalla is showering the Valkyries with love after their win in Game 5 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9WiMSIa3Mz— USA Sports (@usasports) October 27, 2026 Veronica Burton added 13 points and eight rebounds for Golden State, and Tiffany Hayes finished with 12 points.Game 6 of the series is set for Thursday afternoon in Atlanta. The contest will be held at State Farm Arena, something that was once again in doubt, but will have to tip off at 12:30 p.m. local time to make it work. The Dream sold 10,000 tickets in the first 90 minutes they were available on Monday, so Atlanta fans are sure to show out once again despite it being a potentially series-sealing matinee contest.But it's going to take a much better offensive night to keep their hopes of a title, something the franchise has yet to win, alive.