Golden State at Atlanta

Atlanta won its first Finals game in franchise history on Monday, 79-65 at Golden State, with a third quarter in which it outscored the Valkyries 21-9 by drawing fouls and punishing their turnovers. Golden State finished 32-12, and Atlanta 30-14, and Game 2 was the first time the Dream beat the Valkyries this season. Game 1 went the other way, 68-64, and Atlanta scored eight points in the fourth quarter. That same night, the Dream shot 33% from the field and 4-for-25 from three, yet they carried a 56-51 lead into the fourth quarter and went 18-of-21 at the free-throw line against Golden State's 11-of-16. The Valkyries shot 32% overall and 7 of 33 from three. Take away their 28-point second quarter, and they scored 40 over the other three quarters of that game. Then they managed nine points in the third quarter of Game 2, when Atlanta pulled away. Both games showed the same thing. When Atlanta gets to the line and Golden State coughs it up, the Valkyries have no second source of offense to fall back on. Atlanta shot 4 of 25 from three in Game 1 and still led going into the fourth quarter, which is why I'm laying the price with the Dream on the moneyline tonight.