Sports News

Dream rout Valkyries at lunchtime to force the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history

The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday to level the best-of-seven series at 3-3. It sets up the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, on Saturday night, The Guardian reports.

The Guardian described a team facing elimination at a lunchtime tip-off that found its scoring touch just as its title hopes were slipping away. The Dream “had no intention of letting a matinee become their curtain call”, it wrote.

ABC News (Australia) led with the scheduling. Its report said the Dream had “shaken off” a controversy over the early start time to win a dominant game, and it named Izzy Borlase in its account of Atlanta's win.

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the comeback: a team on the brink rediscovering its offence.
• ABC News (Australia) — the setting: a lunchtime game that drew complaints, and an Australian link to the Dream.

What we don't know yet: who wins the deciding game on Saturday night, and whether the scheduling complaints will lead the league to change start times for future finals.