Game 1 of a historic WNBA Finals series begins Saturday afternoon as two franchises hoping to clinch their first title meet in Golden State.
The Valkyries and Dream enter this series after sweeping the Aces and Liberty, respectively—a result WNBA fans probably wouldn’t have expected in early May.
This Finals matchup marks a new chapter in the league as it moves past the old guard, with both squads winning by embracing position-less basketball, strong defense and timely 3-point shooting.
Dream vs. Valkyries Game 1 prediction, best bet
Golden State has become an overnight sensation, reaching the Finals in the franchise’s second year and favored at around -115 across multiple books to win the series.
It’s ridiculous to fathom they carried 33/1 odds to win it all in the preseason.
They are led by reigning Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase, who spent three seasons as an assistant under Becky Hammon with the Aces. Gabby Williams has embraced the cornerstone role, as the former No. 4 pick and UConn standout is the early Finals MVP favorite (+100).
The Valkyries have been the best offensive team in the postseason with a 114 rating on a slower, methodical pace of 88.13. Golden State has depth and proven players in Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Kiah Stokes and microwave scorer Tiffany Hayes.
They’ve also shown great resilience, racking up two double-digit wins against the Aces in the semifinals. In Game 3, they trailed 47-36 to Las Vegas before engineering a 17-0 run to take control and punch a ticket to the championship rounds.
Nakase and the Valkyries are also unbeaten (4-0) in the playoffs at the Chase Center.
Atlanta has been sensational throughout its playoff run, turning a late regular-season winning streak into a ten-game domination, and it hasn’t lost a game since late August.
Karl Smesko, Angel Reese, and company are 13-2 against the spread over their last 15 games. Defensively, they rank atop the playoff leaderboard in steals (10.6) and defensive rating (102), and they also boast the WNBA’s best net rating at +9.6, per WNBA Advanced Stats.
The Dream are at their best when they take care of the basketball, execute offensively, and let Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada, and DeWanna Bonner do the rest. Gray’s status remains in question following a lingering hand issue that sidelined her for two games against the Liberty.
In her absence, Reese elevated her all-around game and is second in MVP odds (+390).
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Even with a 0-3 regular-season mark against Golden State, Atlanta should keep its momentum rolling. The Dream blew open Game 1s in their first two playoff series and remain undefeated (10-0) with Bonner on the floor.
The veteran wasn’t on the roster for those three head-to-head defeats, and her championship pedigree has given the Dream a major boost heading into this series opener.
THE PLAY: Dream moneyline (+130, BetMGM)
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