Dream Stay Focused on Basketball as Game 6 Tips Off at an Unusual Midday Hour

The Atlanta Dream are trying to keep the noise out as they prepare for a Game 6 of the WNBA Finals that has drawn as much attention for its start time as for the stakes. Players and coach Karl Smesko say their only job is to beat the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday, level the series and keep their title hopes alive.

The game is set for 12:30 p.m. at Gateway Center Arena, the league's smallest venue at 3,500 seats. It sold out within hours of tickets going on sale Monday. Forward Angel Reese said she was not surprised, speaking to reporters after Wednesday's practice. "I know how much they support us and they've supported us all season," she said, adding that she was grateful to play in front of the home fans one more time.

The odd timing came from a venue conflict. The Dream had reserved only Gateway Center Arena, their regular-season home, for the playoffs. Atlanta played five regular-season games and every earlier playoff game at State Farm Arena, which seats 17,000 and is home to the Atlanta Hawks. Last-minute changes allowed Games 3 and 4 to be staged there, but the Hawks play at home at 8 p.m. Thursday and would not give up the building. A midday tip was the option all sides could accept, replacing the originally planned 8 p.m. ET start.

The dispute spilled into public view, with Dream ownership calling out WNBA leadership and others criticizing the Dream organization in return. Smesko, in his second season as coach, said the players have hardly mentioned it. "I think we're trying to focus on the basketball and let other people take care of that, and we're just glad that it came to a solution," he said.

The game will be historic regardless of the result. It is the first Game 6 in WNBA Finals history, since the championship series only moved to a best-of-seven format in 2025, when the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury.

On the court, the Dream face a defensive wall. Atlanta and Golden State had the league's top two defenses this season, and points have been scarce. After Atlanta won Game 3 97-91 to take a 2-1 lead, the Valkyries won Game 4 in Atlanta 67-62 and Game 5 in San Francisco 64-55. Reese, who was dominant earlier in the series, scored just 15 points combined across those two games.

Reese, a third-year forward acquired from the Chicago Sky in the offseason and named to her first All-WNBA second team earlier this month, said a Wednesday morning film session helped. She said the team saw that many problems were self-inflicted, including missed shots, turnovers and lapses from defensive principles. She also relayed a comment from rookie guard Isabele Borlase, who said she felt very good after the session. "Everybody's in a great mind space right now," Reese said. A win would force a Game 7 at Chase Center on Halloween.

Veteran DeWanna Bonner said the team needs no special advice about the unusual schedule. "It's just win or die," she said, adding that all they need is "a court, ball, hoop." She called the timing talk something for the media and fans. Bonner also said Atlanta will keep shooting despite its offensive struggles. "We haven't lost confidence," she said. "That'd be crazy to lose confidence."