Dream ride energy of sold-out Atlanta crowd to rediscover their swagger, force first Game 7 in WNBA history

ATLANTA -- Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a do-or-die WNBA Finals Game 6 for the Atlanta Dream, veteran forward DeWanna Bonner insisted that despite the Dream's recent shooting woes, the team would be "crazy to lose confidence" offensively at this point in the WNBA Finals.

"We've been taking those shots all series, so it's just a matter of knocking a couple down," Bonner said. "You start feeling good about yourself. The crowd started getting behind it. And then it's like, 'Here we go. Here go ATL basketball."

As it turns out, in addition to being the third-leading scorer in WNBA history and the second-leading scorer in WNBA playoff history, the 39-year-old Bonner is also a prophet.

The Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 on Thursday afternoon to force the first Game 7 in WNBA history. There was a lot of outside noise from fans and critics alike heading into Game 6, which was played at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday because of an embarrassing web of scheduling conflicts, leadership failures and bureaucratic blame games that left everyone weighing bad options and trying to save face until the time was locked in and tickets went on sale Monday afternoon. 

But none of that noise held a candle to the noise made by a sold-out crowd in State Farm Arena at lunchtime.

"First, shout out to the crowd being able to come here at 12:30 on a Thursday," said Angel Reese, who had 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. "So many things going on in the world, from school to work to everything else. And we're just super thankful. We fed off their energy. They were loud from the beginning. So we're definitely thankful for that. But we wanted to make sure we maximize this opportunity."

While the atmosphere in State Farm was phenomenal for Games 3 and 4 last week, this crowd brought an extra layer of enthusiasm from the start. Perhaps it was the desperation of an elimination game or the novelty of playing hooky from the monotony of midweek work and familial responsibilities to witness the Dream regain their swagger. Or maybe it was a concerted effort to drown out the doubts of anyone who had ever marginalized or counted out the Dream or the city of Atlanta or the WNBA or women's sports -- or even women as a collective -- for one magical afternoon. 

Whatever the reason for the extra energy and decibels, it created a tangible electricity -- it was deafeningly loud -- that seemed to jolt the Dream players to life.

The Valkyries, who started and ended the game 40 minutes away from capturing the WNBA title in just the franchise's second year of existence, took a 2-0 lead on the second possession of the game on a Veronica Burton step back. But then Allisha Gray, who is playing this series with just eight healthy fingers after suffering a hand injury in Game 1 of the semifinals and has struggled with her shot, caught a pass from Reese 23 feet from the basket on the sidelines, evaded her defender, shot the ball and saw it hit the front of the rim, bounce high in the air, and roll into the hoop to give the Dream a 3-2 lead with 9:04 left in the first quarter. 

It was a sign of things to come: Golden State wouldn't sniff a lead for the rest of the game.

ATLANTA COMING OUT FIRING 🎯

Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon knock down back-to-back triples to get the Dream going early in Game 6! #WNBAonUSA 🏆 | Valkyries ⚔️ | Dream 💭 pic.twitter.com/I0Lw5nIb74

— USA Sports (@usasports) October 29, 2026

ATLANTA COMING OUT FIRING 🎯

Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon knock down back-to-back triples to get the Dream going early in Game 6! #WNBAonUSA 🏆 | Valkyries ⚔️ | Dream 💭 pic.twitter.com/I0Lw5nIb74

"It felt nice," Gray, who finished with a team-high 23 points, said when asked about how it felt to see that shot drop in. "My plan was to come out and be aggressive from the jump. My teammates were really on me to just play my game and having my back. So, I guess I got the shooter's roll. But the biggest thing was me staying locked in and stepping up to the challenge."

Like Bonner said, once the Dream players saw a ball bounce their way, it snowballed. Rhyne Howard followed up Gray's 3-pointer with an emphatic block on Gabby Williams, then Naz Hillmon hit a 3-pointer that brought the roof down. The exclamation points just kept coming throughout the first quarter, with the Dream leading by as many as 25 before halftime. In the first quarter alone, the Dream shot 73.3% from the field and 75% from outside after barely cracking the 35% mark all series long. 

"All we needed was a little bit of swagger going into this, a little bit of confidence," Reese said.

T-Pain really drove the Dream's motto for the game home during his halftime performance -- probably the only 1:30 p.m. ET weekday performance of his career -- as he sang his iconic line, "All we do is win, win, win, no matter what." 

The Valkyries, to their credit, outscored the Dream in the second half and cut it to nine with just over a minute remaining. But just as tension started to seep into the celebration, it was broken by -- what else? -- a Gray 3-pointer that sealed the game. This one didn't need a shooter's roll; it was all net. 

As the buzzer sounded at 2:50 p.m. -- just about time for the midafternoon coffee break -- "ATL HOE" chants rang out so loudly at State Farm Arena that they will still be lingering in the air when the Atlanta Hawks take the same court for their game on Thursday night -- and likely long after that.

Game 7 will take place on Saturday at the Chase Center in San Francisco -- or, to put it more aptly, on Halloween at Ballhalla. The Dream still have a mighty tall mountain to climb if they want to capture the first WNBA title in franchise history. But on Thursday, all that mattered was that the Dream's year -- and the WNBA's 30th season -- didn't end with a matinee showing. 

This series finale will take place in primetime.

"Job's not done," Reese said. "We definitely can be happy about it for now, but we have more work to do. I think we definitely have another level that we can get to."

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