ATLANTA – Angel Reese declared on Friday that she believed she could disrupt Golden State’s confidence. However, on Saturday, the Valkyries had other plans, turning her game upside down.
After impressive performances in the previous games, Reese faced a tough outing in Game 4, struggling to connect on layups when her team needed her the most.
She ended the game with eight points and nine rebounds, shooting just 2-for-12, while the Dream fell to the Golden State Valkyries 67–62 at State Farm Arena, leveling the WNBA Finals series at 2–2. In addition, Reese recorded six turnovers.
Reese had come off a combined 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s earlier victories, entering this game with significant confidence. “They’re playing into my mental game,” she mentioned before the game.
Before the match commenced, both teams opted to stay off the court during the national anthem for the fourth consecutive time in this series, leaving just before it started and returning as it concluded.
Once the game was underway, Reese struggled to finish shots and hold on to the ball. By the end of the first quarter, she hadn’t scored and headed into halftime with only four points, three rebounds, five turnovers, and three fouls, two of which were offensive.
The Dream’s challenges were not solely due to Reese; they accumulated 14 turnovers in the first half and took only 19 shots compared to Golden State’s 40.
Reese’s hook shot at 6:15 in the second quarter marked Atlanta’s last field goal before halftime. The Valkyries ended the period on an 18–6 run, leading 42–26 at the break.
Atlanta attempted a comeback in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to six points following a three-pointer from Isobel Borlase. Nevertheless, Golden State responded with baskets from Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams, entering the final quarter with a 54–45 advantage.
In the third, Reese managed to score only two points, both from free throws, attempted one three-pointer which she missed, and picked up her fourth foul in the last moments of the quarter.
She had the opportunity to turn her performance around in the fourth quarter, but she missed her first five shots: a few layups, a tip shot, and a short hook. Atlanta managed to cut the margin to six points on two occasions. After a three-pointer from Veronica Burton that pushed Golden State’s lead to 64–55 with 4:23 left, Reese missed a layup, got her own rebound, but failed to finish again. On Atlanta’s following possession, she missed a short hook shot.
Atlanta needed their star player to step up. Instead, points continued to slip away at the basket.
Reese finally made a driving layup with 1:36 left, her first field goal since the second quarter, reducing the deficit to 64–59. But before that, she had failed to score on six layups, including one that was blocked by Kiah Stokes.
Despite still having a chance, Atlanta saw Allisha Gray and Borlase miss three-point attempts on the same possession, while Burton’s jumper with 34.6 seconds left increased the lead back to seven.
Rhyne Howard’s three-point play brought Atlanta back within four with 28.7 seconds remaining. Burton then made one out of two free throws, but the Dream’s final chance ended with another mistake from Reese. She managed to grab two offensive rebounds to keep the play alive but then threw a pass that was intercepted by Williams with 9.8 seconds left. This mistake was her sixth turnover.
The Dream also struggled at the free-throw line, finishing 22-for-31, and Gray picked up her fifth foul early in the fourth, adding to their woes.
Game 5 is set for Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
