WNBA bailed out of scheduling disaster as Angel Reese, Dream force Game 7

Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream kept their championship hopes alive Thursday. Perhaps more importantly, they spared the WNBA a title celebration in the middle of a workday.

The Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 at State Farm Arena, evening the best-of-seven Finals at 3-3 and forcing a deciding game Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Reese struggled to shoot the ball for a third consecutive game, finishing with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting. She grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out six assists but also committed six turnovers.

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That made it three straight games with more turnovers than made field goals for the Dream star. Across Games 4, 5 and 6, Reese shot 9-for-38 from the floor (24%) and turned the ball over 15 times.

This time, Atlanta had enough offense around her. Allisha Gray scored 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21, combining to make nine of their 13 three-point attempts.

Their shooting also ensured that the WNBAs championship would be decided in prime time.

The league moved Game 6 from its originally scheduled 8 p.m. start to 12:30 p.m. Thursday to accommodate an arena doubleheader with the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, who were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers that night. Golden State fans back home had to tune in at 9:30 a.m. to watch their team try to win its first title.

There had also been questions about where the Valkyries would celebrate if they won.

ESPNs Ramona Shelburne reported that a championship celebration could be moved to a practice court to accommodate preparations for the Hawks game. She later clarified that there was "a resolve" to make sure any championship won Thursday was celebrated on the court.

But that sounded an awful lot like damage control from the WNBA. Winning a championship and then moving the celebration to a practice court because the NBA needed the floor would have been a terrible look for the league.

Atlantas win made the issue moot.

The crowd deserved credit for showing up under the circumstances. State Farm Arena was largely filled for a Thursday afternoon, although there were more empty seats and the building was quieter at the start than it had been for Games 3 and 4.

Fans who spoke with OutKick outside the arena described taking time off work, pulling children out of school and difficult travel times to attend. Tiffany Hayes father, Renard Hayes, blamed the league and Atlanta for the scheduling predicament.

DREAM, VALKYRIES LEAVE COURT BEFORE TIS 10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER SINGS WNBA FINALS ANTHEM

Before tipoff, both teams again left the court for the national anthem, this time performed by rapper T.I.s 10-year-old daughter, Heiress Harris. It was their sixth consecutive absence during the Finals.

Once the game began, Atlanta quickly took control.

The Dream made six of their eight first-quarter three-point attempts and built a 32-15 lead. Reese made only one of her four shots in the period, but contributed four assists, including passes that set up three of Atlantas threes.

Atlanta pus