Stokes and Burton Lead Valkyries Past Dream 64-55 in Finals Game 5

Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton each tallied 13 points and eight rebounds while anchoring a suffocating defensive effort before 18,000 fans at Chase Center on Monday night, lifting the second-year Golden State Valkyries to a 64-55 victory over the Atlanta Dream in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, according to NBC Bay Area and The San Francisco Standard.

Golden State held Atlanta to 22 first-half points—as the teams’ 25-22 halftime score marked the lowest-scoring first half in WNBA Finals history—and limited the Dream to a season-low 55 points overall while forcing 17 turnovers worth 21 Valkyries points.

Stokes Ties Lisa Leslie Record as Burton Ties Diana Taurasi

Stokes knocked down three 3-pointers—including daggers with 2:46 left in the third quarter and 7:21 remaining in the fourth—while recording three blocks to reach 17 blocks in the series. Her sixth consecutive game with at least three blocks tied Lisa Leslie’s 2003 record for the longest such streak in a single WNBA postseason, while holding Atlanta forward Angel Reese to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three offensive fouls.

Burton added a postseason-best four blocked shots, tying Diana Taurasi (2009) for the most blocks by a guard in a WNBA Finals game. Coach Natalie Nakase kept veteran Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles in the starting lineup for a second straight game; Hayes scored 12 points against her former team, Cecilia Zandalasini added 12 points off the bench on 5-of-10 shooting, and Gabby Williams finished with nine points and six rebounds.

Game 6 Set for Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Monday that Game 6 will tip off Thursday at 12:30 p.m. EDT (9:30 a.m. PDT) at 17,000-seat State Farm Arena in Atlanta—with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks moving their evening game against the Chicago Bulls to 8 p.m. EDT—followed by Game 7, if necessary, at 5 p.m. PDT Saturday at Chase Center.