Golden State Valkyries WNBA Finals 2026 run

Why it's trending: the Golden State Valkyries are in the WNBA Finals and just lost Game 3.

Latest (Oct 21–22, 2026)

• Game 3: Atlanta Dream beat the Valkyries 97–71 at State Farm Arena on Wed, Oct 21 — Atlanta's first-ever Finals win at home. Rhyne Howard (5 steals) and Angel Reese led the way. Golden State now trails 2–1 in the best-of-seven (wnba.com; valkyries.wnba.com, Oct 21–22).
• Series so far: Golden State won Game 1 68–64 at Chase Center on Oct 17 (Gabby Williams 26 points, 50th straight sellout), then lost Game 2 79–65 on Oct 19 (Reese 27 points).
• Reaction today: Coach Natalie Nakase and players Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams spoke postgame; USA Today framed it as "Golden State Valkyries refuse to panic down 2-1," while The Press Democrat called the team "undisciplined" after the league-leading defense gave up 97 points (AP/USA Today, Oct 22).
• Context: This is only the Valkyries' second season, and they're the first WNBA expansion team to reach the Finals, after sweeping the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.
• Bay Area angle: For the first time the team hosted a ticketed $25 watch party inside Chase Center for Game 3 (proceeds to the Golden State Community Foundation); SF bars like Rikki's were at capacity (NBC Bay Area, Oct 2026).

Next: Game 4 is in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct 24; Game 5 (if needed) is at Chase Center on Monday, Oct 26. A watch party at Chase Center is planned for Game 4.

One discrepancy between sources: the Game 4 tip-off is listed as both 10 a.m. PT and 12:30 p.m. PT — worth checking the official WNBA schedule before you plan around it.

Sources: WNBA.com, valkyries.wnba.com, NBC Bay Area, AP/Press Democrat, USA Today (all Oct 21–22, 2026).