Valkyries defense shuts down Dream in Game 5

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night at Chase Center. The win pushes the expansion franchise within one win of its first championship. Read more: Valkyries defense shuts down Dream in Game 5

Golden State now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, so it needs just one more victory, in Atlanta or back home in San Francisco. Neither franchise has ever won a WNBA title.

The game turned on defense, not scoring. Golden State led just 25-22 at halftime, the lowest combined first-half total in WNBA Finals history. That mark comes from the official Finals recap and is also confirmed by NBC New York. Golden State was just 3-of-16 on 3-pointers in the first half, and Atlanta managed only 2-of-13.

But Atlanta cut the deficit to 34-31 on Rhyne Howard's three-point play early in the third quarter. Kiah Stokes answered right away. She hit a 3-pointer to make it 41-36, then ignited a 14-6 run that buried Atlanta's offense.

Golden State led 46-40 after three quarters. Then the Valkyries pulled away in the fourth.

After that, Gabby Williams's three-point play pushed the margin to 49-42. Stokes added a second 3-pointer to make it 52-42. The lead grew to 62-46 with 1:46 left, Golden State's largest of the night. Still, Atlanta closed with a late 9-2 run that fell short.

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Stokes and Burton control the paint

Stokes finished with 13 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers. She also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots. Stokes held Atlanta forward Angel Reese to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting, even as Reese pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds and handed out five assists.

Related: Valkyries and Dream meet for Finals lead in Game 5

Guard Veronica Burton matched Stokes with 13 points and eight rebounds. In fact, Burton and Stokes combined for seven of Golden State's nine blocks on the night.

Atlanta shot just 29 percent from the field, a season low for the Dream. The Dream also turned the ball over 17 times, and Golden State converted those turnovers into 21 points. The Valkyries blocked nine shots in Game 5, which lifted their series total to 37, a WNBA Finals record.

Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 20 points. Still, she got little help until Jordin Canada scored eight of her 12 in the fourth quarter.

The result showed that Golden State's defense, not its shooting, is now deciding this series.

"We're not here without Kiah," Golden State guard Veronica Burton said of Stokes after the win. "Just ball pressure," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said of the defensive approach.

Game 6 is Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, airing on USA Network and Peacock. A Dream win there would force a Game 7 on Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco.