Gabby Williams spent her Sunday off day at the Golden State Warriors’ open practice, one day after dropping a game-high 26 points to lead the Golden State Valkyries past the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
The NBA’s official X account posted a photo of Williams with Warriors guard Gary Payton II, captioned “Gary Payton II 🤝 Gabby Williams,” noting she was in the building after leading the Valkyries to the Game 1 win.
Game 2 tips tonight, Monday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. ET. Golden State has home-court advantage and a 1-0 series lead.
The IAHHM Take
Let that sink in: this is the Valkyries’ second season. Game 1 was their fifth straight playoff win, and they are now three wins away from a championship. Expansion teams are not supposed to move like this.
Williams’ night was not pretty on paper. She shot 8-of-22. But in a grind-it-out game where nobody could buy a bucket, she kept taking the shots and kept making the big ones. That is what your best player is supposed to do on the biggest stage.
The Warriors pull-up matters too. The Warriors open their season Wednesday against the Lakers, and ClutchPoints notes Stephen Curry tweaked his knee in practice, putting his opening-night status in doubt. While the NBA side of the Bay waits on health updates, the Valkyries are the hottest team in town. Showing love across leagues is the kind of energy that builds a sports city, and the Bay is leaning all the way in.
Atlanta is not going to fold, though. The Dream held Golden State to 68 points in Game 1. Steal one on the road tonight and this series flips.
So what is it: do the Valkyries go up 2-0 tonight, or does Atlanta steal one in the Bay?
More from the sports desk: IAHHM Week in Review (Oct. 18) and all IAHHM Sports.
Source: ClutchPoints
