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WNBA Finals takeaways: Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to Game 1 win
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

WNBA Finals takeaways: Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to Game 1 win over Dream

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated Oct 17, 2026 6:53 PM ET
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The 2026 WNBA Finals opened on Saturday with the Golden State Valkyries earning a 68-64 win over the Atlanta Dream to take a 1-0 series lead.

It is the Valkyries' first WNBA Finals win and brings them one step closer to a championship in just their second season in the league.

Let's look at some key takeaways from their Game 1 win.

Gabby Williams put the Valkyries on her back (again)

While Golden State has powered through the playoffs with a deep bench and balanced effort, the one constant in almost every game has been the play and production of veteran Gabby Williams.

Saturday was no different.

Her 26 points on Saturday not only led all players in the game, but she was the only Golden State player to reach double digits. 

It is her fifth 20-point effort in seven playoff games, and was highlighted by a 3-for-11 day from 3-point range and a 7-for-8 day from the line. That included some huge foul shots in the stretch run of the fourth quarter (where she was 7-for-7 from the line) to help put the game away. 

She has been a key cog in the Valkyries machine all season, but has really elevated her game during this playoff run, especially offensively. After averaging 14.8 points per game in the regular season, that number is up to 23.1 in the playoffs. 

From an offensive perspective, this is by far the best postseason run of her career, and it has the Valkyries two wins away from a championship. 

Williams leg will be something to monitor after late collision

If there is a concern to come out of this game for the Valkyries, it's that Williams was seen limping after a late fourth-quarter collision with Jordin Canada.

She remained in the game but was clearly in some discomfort. 

Given her role and importance to the Valkyries, it will definitely be something to watch in the coming days. 

Valkyries' depth shines again

While Williams was the biggest point-producer and driving force, you still can't ignore the contributions of the bench and the players up and down the lineup.

This has been a calling card of their entire postseason run, and you saw it again on Saturday.

While only one player reached double digits, they had seven players record at least five points, while their bench outscored Atlanta's by a 20-6 margin. 

Having that many players that you can rely on is a huge advantage for a coaching staff, knowing they can limit minutes, keep people fresh and get the most out of everybody.

The biggest bench contributions on Saturday came from Kaila Charles with seven points and 10 rebounds, as well as Laeticia Amihere with five points, five rebounds, a steal and a block. She was also a plus-9 for the day. 

Charles was also a plus-15, which was the second-highest mark of any Valkyries player, trailing only Williams.

What makes Amihere's contributions on Saturday so big is that she had only played six minutes all postseason prior to Saturday. Sometimes it takes everybody to win a championship, and you always have to be ready. She was on Saturday. 

Atlanta's offense went cold at the worst possible time

Atlanta not only managed just eight points in the fourth quarter, but it did not score in the final 3:12 of regulation (two foul shots from Rhyne Howard) and did not make a single field goal over the final 4:23.

During that time, Golden State went on a 7-0 run to close out the game. 

Atlanta's Allisha Gray led the team with 19 points while playing through a hand injury, while Angel Reese, playing in her first WNBA Finals game, had 14 points with 12 rebounds. 

Saturday's loss snaps what had been a 10-game winning streak for the Dream going back to the regular season, and is just its second loss in its past 14 games.

It is Atlanta's first defeat of the 2026 postseason. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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