Dream Fill 17,000 Seats for Game 6

The Atlanta Dream announced Wednesday that their home arena will be full for the decisive Game 6 of the WNBA Finals, a result that defies initial skepticism about the unusual morning schedule. The Golden State Valkyries lead the series 3-2 and will face the Dream at State Farm Arena on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

A win for Golden State will secure its first WNBA championship. A victory for Atlanta forces a Game 7 on Saturday night in San Francisco. Organizers expected approximately 17,000 fans to attend the matinee, marking the third time in this series that the arena reached near-capacity numbers despite the early hour.

The scheduling conflict arose because the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks had a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers scheduled for the same evening. To accommodate both events, the league moved the WNBA game to the morning slot instead of relocating it to the smaller Gateway Center Arena. This decision prompted the Dream’s ownership group, including Robyn and Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and Renee Montgomery, to release an open letter to fans on Tuesday.

In the letter, the owners stated that their concerns about scheduling conflicts were raised two months ago but did not receive the urgency they deserved. "We earned our place in the Finals, and our city deserves the opportunity to show up for its team," the owners wrote. The arena will undergo a second court transformation during the Finals, with crews removing the Dream’s floor and installing the Hawks’ court between the two games.

On the court, the Valkyries have adjusted their defense since falling 97-71 in Game 3. Center Kiah Stokes noted that the team increased pressure around the perimeter to limit the passing ability of Atlanta star Angel Reese. Reese, who opened the series with three consecutive double-doubles, has made only two field goals in each of the last two games. The Valkyries allowed 62 points in Game 4 and 55 points in Game 5, holding the Dream to their lowest scoring outputs of the series.

Reese expressed confidence that her shooting slump is temporary. "It’s coming. I don’t believe it’s not coming," she said Wednesday. The Dream, who ranked third in the league in scoring with 90.8 points per game, rely on their offense to overcome Golden State’s defense, which allowed a league-low 75.1 points per game during the regular season.

The WNBA will hold its draft lottery on November 15, with Houston and Toronto holding the best odds for the No. 1 pick. USC forward JuJu Watkins, recovering from an ACL injury, is among the top prospects expected to enter the draft, alongside Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and Madison Booker of Texas. The draft itself is scheduled for April 12.