ATLANTA (AP) — The Golden State Valkyries are still confident.
Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven WNBA Finals against Atlanta, they know a win on Saturday will give them back home-court advantage with a trip to “Ballhalla” awaiting.
“It would be silly to overreact right now,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. “We continue to point out the things where we lack discipline and where we lack maybe paying attention to their personnel. We address that and not overreact but also understand that there is a major sense of urgency, and we can’t necessarily wait for anything to change.”
Still, the Valkyries can ill afford to lose Game 4 after getting routed in Game 3. While it's only the second year that the WNBA has played a best-of-seven championship series, history in the NBA isn't on the side of teams trailing 3-1. Only the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers were able to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
For the Valkyries to have any chance, they'll need to find a way to contain Angel Reese.
Reese, who was traded to Atlanta from Chicago in the offseason, has made the most of her first postseason appearance since coming into the league three years ago. She became only the second player in finals history with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, joining A’ja Wilson.
At 24 years old, she also became the youngest with three straight double-doubles in the finals.
Reese has a really talented group around her in Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, who has been dealing with a hand injury suffered in the semifinals.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) talks with Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) during the first half of Game 3 of the WNBA basketball finals on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Newly minted all-around champion Skye Blakely added to her medal haul at the world gymnastics championships, earning bronze on vault and uneven bars during the event finals on Saturday.
The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life.
Blakely averaged a score of 14.166 on her pair of vaults to share the podium with gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and American teammate Claire Pease.
Andrade, the Olympic champion on vault and the Olympic silver medalist in the all-around in Paris behind Simone Biles, edged Pease for gold. The 27-year-old Andrade, who is competing as an event specialist at the moment while eyeing a run at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, averaged 14.666, a bit ahead of Pease at 14.233.
Kaylia Nemour of Algeria recovered from a misstep on vault in the all-around finals on Friday that cost her a medal to easily defend her gold on uneven bars. Nemour's intricate and technically demanding routine — perhaps the hardest currently being done by any gymnast, male or female, in any event — earned her a 15.333, the highest score of the day.
Helen Kervic of Germany captured the silver at 14.833, with Blakely in third at 14.600.
Blakely, who joined Olympic champions Biles and Nastia Liukin as well as Rebecca Bross as the only American women to win at least four medals at a single worlds, will have a chance to add to her medal total on Sunday when she competes in the beam final.
American Fred Richard helped the U.S. men's team earn a bit of redemption after a shaky sixth-place finish in the team final by edging Jake Jarman of Britain for gold in the floor exercise. The 22-year-old Richard, who has spent the last several years trying to raise the profile of the men's side of the sport through social media, posted a 14.633 to give the Americans their third individual gold at worlds in the last two years.
Richard said after competing in the NCAA championships for Michigan last spring that he would have a gold medal of some variety around his neck at worlds. A performance that showcased his maturity made it come true.
“It’s OK to manifest,” Richard said. “It’s OK to talk big and believe in yourself. Put in the work every day. As long as that is true, that you’re actually putting in the work, it can happen, and it does happen.”
Jarman, who came in as the defending champion on the event, put together a more difficult routine but was nicked by judges for his execution. His 14.600 wasn't quite enough to knock Richard off the top of the podium.
Carlos Yulo, the reigning Olympic champion on floor, sat during his second tumbling pass and finished eighth in the eight-man final. Arsenii Dukhno of Russia, who topped qualifying, went out of bounds after overcooking a tumbling sequence and wound up sixth.
In other events Saturday, Hamlet Manukyan of Armenia edged Gabriele Targhetta of Italy for gold in a tight pommel horse final. Manukyan's score of 15.300 was just ahead of Targhetta at 15.233. Manukyan's Armenian teammate Mamikon Khachatryan won the bronze at 15.000.
Lan Xingyu of China returned to the top of the podium in still rings. The 28-year-old's score of 14.766 was more than enough to earn him a second world gold in the event to go with the one he captured in 2021. Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece took silver for his sixth world medal in his specialty. Artur Avetisyan captured the bronze.
The world championships wrap up on Sunday with the finals in men's high bar, parallel bars and vault and women's balance beam and floor exercise.
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Skye Blakely, of the United States, reacts after competing in the uneven bars during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Artistic gymnastics Olympic champion Simone Biles, of the United States, acknowledges the crowd wehn attending the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Frederick Richard, of the United States, poses on the podium after winning the gold medal in the floor exercise during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Claire Pease, of the United States, competes in the vault during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the vault during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Skye Blakely, of the United States, competes in the vault during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
