Valkyries hold off Dream to take Game 1 of WNBA Finals

Gabby Williams made four free throws in the final 80 seconds, and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 on Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco to take a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. Read more: WNBA Finals Game 1 recap

The win settles nothing beyond Game 1, but it leaves Golden State three wins from the title. Neither franchise had won a championship before this series, Golden State in its first trip to the Finals as an expansion team and Atlanta in its first Finals appearance since 2013.

Williams finished with 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting, 16 of them in a second quarter that turned a close game into a workable lead. No other Valkyries starter reached double figures. She hit two free throws with 1:18 left to put Golden State ahead for good, then two more with 4.1 seconds remaining to close it out.

The game had seven lead changes and six ties before Golden State pulled away. Atlanta led after the first quarter, 22-14, before Golden State answered with a 28-point second quarter that flipped the game.

Atlanta clawed back with a 17-9 third quarter, but Golden State outscored the Dream 17-8 in the fourth to finish it. The full line: Atlanta 22-17-17-8 for 64, Golden State 14-28-9-17 for 68.

Allisha Gray scored 19 points on 5-of-19 shooting for Atlanta in her return from a hand injury that cost her the final two games of the Dream's semifinal sweep of New York. She started after a limited practice Friday and went scoreless in the fourth quarter, missing a three with about nine seconds left that would have put Atlanta ahead.

Angel Reese added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Rhyne Howard scored 12. Reese came up with a steal moments after Howard missed a three with 1:09 to go.

Golden State's defense made the difference

Both teams shot right around 32 percent from the field, which made the margins elsewhere decisive. Golden State forced 12 Atlanta turnovers and turned them into 17 points, more than enough to cover a cold shooting night of its own. Center Kiah Stokes blocked four shots in the first half alone, part of a 10-block effort for Golden State.

"We always knew we were going to find a way somehow," Williams said after the game.

Golden State had been the stingiest defense in the playoffs, while Atlanta came into the series with the field's highest scoring average. Neither looked like it on this night until Williams got going in the second quarter. From there it was a game of runs, and Golden State's final run decided it.

Game 2 is Monday night at Chase Center, airing on USA Network and Peacock, with Atlanta needing a response before the series shifts to Georgia.