WNBA Finals Game 3: Dream vs Valkyries Time, TV and Venue Change

The WNBA Finals shift to Atlanta on Wednesday night with the series tied 1-1, and Game 3 between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will be played in a much bigger room than first planned.

Golden State took Game 1 on Saturday, 68-64. Atlanta answered on Monday night, winning Game 2 79-65 behind Angel Reese, who scored 30 points and took 16 rebounds as the Dream outscored the Valkyries 21-9 in the third quarter.

Game 3: time, TV and stream

Game 3 is on Wednesday, October 21 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tipoff is 8 p.m. Eastern. The game airs on USA Network and CNBC, with streaming on Peacock.

Game 4 follows at the same arena on Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock.

Why the venue changed

Games 3 and 4 were moved from the Dream's Gateway Center Arena, which holds 3,500, to State Farm Arena, which holds 16,888 for basketball. The WNBA announced the change on October 13. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the bigger arena ensures thousands more fans can watch the first WNBA Finals game played in the Atlanta market since 2013.

The move also shifted the calendar. Game 3 was brought forward from October 22 to October 21, Game 4's tipoff moved to 1 p.m., and the Atlanta Hawks agreed to push their home opener on October 24 back to 8:30 p.m. Eastern to clear the building.

What is at stake

Both clubs are chasing a first championship. The winner on Wednesday takes a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series, with Game 4 in the same building on Saturday before the series returns to San Francisco for a possible Game 5 on Monday, October 26.

Reese has been the series' loudest stat line so far, and Golden State's balanced scoring, led by Gabby Williams in the regular season meetings, is the problem Atlanta has to solve at home. The Dream lost all three regular season games against the Valkyries, two of them by five points or fewer.

How Atlanta levelled the series

Game 2 showed the shape Atlanta wants this series to take. Golden State led 21-18 after the first quarter and still led late in the second, until DeWanna Bonner hit a late jumper that sent the Dream into half time ahead 39-37. Atlanta then recorded 14 steals and forced 18 Golden State turnovers across the game. Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals in one game. Jordin Canada finished with 13 points and 10 assists, and Allisha Gray added 18 points and five rebounds alongside Reese's 30 and 16.

The arena move also has a longer tail. Atlanta played six of its 22 regular season home games at State Farm Arena this year and had already announced it will play all of its home games there in the 2027 season. Chase Center in San Francisco, where Games 1, 2 and, if needed, 5 and 7 are played, holds 18,064 for basketball. If the series goes to a Game 6 on October 29, that game is still scheduled for the Gateway Center. A Game 7, if needed, would be on October 31.