Valkyries and Dream set for winner-take-all Game 7

The Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream play Game 7 of the WNBA Finals tonight, with tipoff at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco. Read more: Valkyries and Dream set for winner-take-all Game 7

This Valkyries Dream Game 7 is the first in WNBA Finals history. That stage did not exist until the Finals moved to a best-of-seven format in 2025.

Golden State is playing in just its second season as a franchise. Atlanta, meanwhile, is in its 19th. Neither has ever won a title. So whoever leaves Chase Center with the trophy will be doing something its franchise has never done before.

Related: Dream force first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history

How the series got here

Golden State won Game 1 68-64, but Atlanta answered by taking Games 2 and 3, 79-65 and 97-71. The Valkyries then won Games 4 and 5, 67-62 and 64-55, pushing the Dream to the brink. Atlanta avoided elimination Thursday in Atlanta, building a 25-point first-half lead and winning Game 6, 80-69.

Allisha Gray was the difference in that game. She still played through two dislocated fingers on her shooting hand. In fact, she finished with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including five 3-pointers in seven attempts.

That came after she made just 28.1 percent of her shots over the first five games of the series. Also, Rhyne Howard added 21, and the two combined to make nine 3-pointers. "My teammates were really on me to just play my game," said Gray, the Dream guard, after Game 6.

ESPN lists Golden State as a 1.5-point favorite for Game 7, with the total set at 142.5. That number has slid all series, down from 154.5 in Game 1, according to Sports Betting Dime. Golden State earned home court the straightforward way. It finished the regular season 32-12 to Atlanta's 30-14.

Related: Valkyries can clinch first title in Game 6 at State Farm Arena

Still, this Valkyries Dream Game 7 is close enough on paper that home court guarantees nothing. The home team has won 11 of the previous 13 winner-take-all games in WNBA Finals history. The most recent came when New York beat Minnesota in a 2024 Game 5.

Gabby Williams, the Valkyries forward, framed it simply after Game 6. "What's great is we have another chance," she said.

One franchise will finally leave Chase Center tonight with a championship banner it has waited its whole history to hang.

If gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call 1-800-GAMBLER.