ATLANTA – Angel Reese said Friday that she could take Golden State’s confidence and "mess them up."
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she → say → them
On Saturday, the Valkyries made a mess of her afternoon.
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Valkyries → make → afternoon
Reese followed two dominant performances with her worst game of the series, missing layup after layup when Atlanta needed her most.
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Atlanta → follow → her
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page → contain → partners
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News → sign → wager
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that → create → newsroom
She finished with eight points and nine rebounds on 2-for-12 shooting as the Dream lost 67–62 to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday at State Farm Arena, evening the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 2–2.
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Dream → finish → 2–2
Reese also committed six turnovers.
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Reese → commit → turnovers
After combining for 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s two victories, Reese had plenty of confidence heading into Game 4.
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Reese → combine → Game
"They’re playing into my mental game," Reese said Friday.
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Reese → play → game
Before tipoff, both teams again stayed off the court for the national anthem, marking their fourth straight absence in the series.
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teams → stay → series
They left moments before the performance and returned seconds after it ended.
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it → leave → performance
Once the game began, Reese struggled to finish around the basket and hold onto the ball.
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Reese → begin → ball
She went scoreless in the first quarter and reached halftime with four points, three rebounds, five turnovers and three fouls.
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She → go → points
Atlanta’s problems extended beyond Reese.
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problems → extend → Reese
The Dream committed 14 first-half turnovers and attempted just 19 shots to Golden State’s 40.
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Dream → commit → 40
Reese’s hook shot with 6:15 left in the second quarter was Atlanta’s last field goal of the half.
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shot → leave → half
The Valkyries closed the period on an 18–6 run to take a 42–26 lead into the break.
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Valkyries → close → break
The Dream made a push in the third, cutting the deficit to six on Isobel Borlase’s three-pointer with 4:27 remaining.
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Dream → make → 4:27
But Golden State answered with consecutive baskets from Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams and took a 54–45 lead into the fourth.
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State → answer → fourth
Reese scored two points in the third, both at the foul line.
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Reese → score → line
Her only shot attempt was a missed three, and she picked up her fourth foul in the closing seconds.
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she → miss → seconds
She had a chance to salvage her afternoon in the fourth quarter.
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She → have → quarter
Instead, she missed her first five shots of the period: three layups, a tip shot and a short hook.
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she → miss → period
Atlanta got within six twice.
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Atlanta → get → six
After Veronica Burton’s three-pointer pushed Golden State’s lead to 64–55 with 4:23 remaining, Reese missed a layup, grabbed her own rebound and missed the tip.
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Reese → push → tip
On Atlanta’s next possession, she missed a 5-foot hook.
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she → miss → hook
The Dream needed their star to deliver.
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star → need → ?
She kept leaving points at the rim.
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She → keep → rim
Reese finally made a driving layup with 1:36 remaining, her first field goal since the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 64–59.
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Reese → make → 64–59
Before that basket, she had missed six layups, including one blocked by Kiah Stokes.
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she → miss → Stokes
Atlanta still had a chance.
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Atlanta → have → chance
But Allisha Gray and Borlase missed threes on the same possession, and Burton’s jumper with 34.6 seconds left stretched the lead back to seven.
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jumper → miss → seven
Rhyne Howard’s three-point play brought Atlanta within four with 28.7 seconds remaining.
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play → bring → seconds
Burton made one of two free throws, and the Dream’s final possession ended with another Reese mistake.
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possession → make → mistake
She grabbed two offensive rebounds to keep it alive, then threw a pass that Williams stole with 9.8 seconds left.
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Williams → grab → seconds
The Dream also hurt themselves at the foul line, finishing 22-for-31.
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Dream → hurt → line
Gray picked up her fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, adding to Atlanta’s problems.
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Gray → pick → problems
The Aporia
