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WNBA Finals takeaways: Angel Reese dominates again in Game 3
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

WNBA Finals takeaways: Angel Reese dominates again as Dream cruise to Game 3 win

The WNBA Finals continued on Wednesday night with the Atlanta Dream taking a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Valkyries. It was a dominant showing by the Dream in a 97-71 win that is the eighth-largest margin of victory in WNBA Finals history. 

It was not only a huge win for the Dream to get the upper hand in the series, but it was also another statement performance from Angel Reese as she continues to put herself among the league's elite players.

Here are some key takeaways from Wednesday's game.

Angel Reese continues to dominate in postseason

From the moment she arrived in the league, Reese was an immediate force on the glass and on the defensive side of the ball. The question that was always going to determine how high her ceiling could go was always going to come down to her ability to improve offensively and gain more consistency there.

It is happening.

She continued her MVP-level run through the playoffs with another double-double on Wednesday, scoring a game-high 21 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds. 

She also added three assists and three steals in the win, while shooting 7-for-12 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range

Through the first three games of the series, she is averaging 21.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and two steals per game, while also shooting 56.4% from the field and 75% from 3-point range.

That's about as dominant as a player can get. 

Do not sleep on Rhyne Howard's performance

While Reese has very clearly been the engine that is driving the Dream's run, she is not alone in putting the team in this position.

Rhyne Howard has also been a difference-maker, and finished Wednesday's game with 16 points and four rebounds, while also recording five steals for the second consecutive game.

How rare is that last point?

No other player in WNBA Finals history has ever done it.

She also did this.

Having two defensive players like Reese and Howard on the floor is a huge advantage, especially when they are also both capable of driving the offense. 

That defensive presence no doubt played a role in the next takeaway...

Golden State had a miserable night offensively

The Valkyries finished the night shooting just 35% from the floor, and there was no shortage of issues that contributed to that.

Some bad shot selection.

Not making shots that were there.

Not having room to create anything against a relentless Atlanta defense.

It was all on display.

The Valkyries have relied heavily on their bench for most of the postseason, but it was an especially bad night for most of their starting lineup on Wednesday as three players failed to record more than three points.

Gabby Williams and Cecilia Zandalasini combined for 28 points, while Kayla Thornton, Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton combined for just five points. 

Stokes finished with two points while Burton had three.

It does not matter how deep your team is or how much you like to use your bench; you need more than that from your starting five. 

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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