Kiah Stokes Ties Lisa Leslie and Golden State Smothers Atlanta, 64-55: Valkyries One Win From a Title in Year Two

By Danielle "Dee" Ortiz, RF Sports Radio WNBA voice

Hoops fans, a team in only its second season is one win away from a WNBA championship. Golden State choked the life out of Atlanta on Monday night, and the Dream now have to win twice to save their season.

The facts

The Valkyries beat the Dream 64-55 in Game 5 at Chase Center and lead the best-of-seven Finals 3-2, per the team and WNBA.com. Game 6 is Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, which is 11:30 a.m. Central, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, per ESPN.

Kiah Stokes led Golden State with 13 points, three 3-pointers and three blocks, per WNBA.com, and shot 5-for-6 from the field, per ESPN. Her 13 points matched her season high, and her three 3s are a playoff career high, per the Valkyries. Veronica Burton added 13 points and eight rebounds. Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 20 points.

The defensive numbers are wild. Stokes has at least three blocks in six straight games, which ESPN says ties Lisa Leslie in 2003 for the longest streak in a single postseason in WNBA history. Per ESPN Research, Atlanta shot 1-of-7 when Stokes contested the shot. ESPN described a Golden State defense that forced turnovers, tipped passes and changed shots for 40 minutes, with no stretch where Atlanta looked comfortable.

Golden State joined the league as an expansion team in 2025, per ESPN.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this series has become a defensive clinic, and Golden State is the one teaching the class. Holding a Finals opponent to 55 points is not an accident. Stokes is not a star scorer, but she is the most important player on the floor right now, and the stat that tells you why is that 1-of-7.

Atlanta's problem is simple. Howard can get her 20, but nobody else is giving the Dream enough to break that defense. If Atlanta does not find a second and third scorer on Thursday, the season ends at home.

This series felt like a coin flip after four games. I am off the fence now. Teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series are in great shape, and Golden State has the better defense and the momentum.

My call: Valkyries win the title in Game 6. That is a prediction, not a report.

What to watch next

Whether Atlanta adjusts its offense to pull Stokes away from the rim, Howard's shot volume, and the early-afternoon tip. For the Game 5 preview, read Dee's Oct. 26 Game 5 preview, and follow the WNBA Playoffs page through Thursday. If the Finals end this week, our WNBA beat will shift back to the Dallas Wings and their offseason.

Radio question: is Kiah Stokes the Finals MVP if Golden State finishes it Thursday?

Sources: Golden State Valkyries - Valkyries Take Game 5 of WNBA Finals; WNBA.com - Game Recap: Valkyries 64, Dream 55; ESPN - How Stokes carried Valkyries to Game 5 win; Basketball-Reference - Dream at Valkyries, October 26, 2026.