Veronica Burton posts a Game 7 double-double and seals the Valkyries' first WNBA title at the line

The last points of the WNBA season belonged to Veronica Burton.

Atlanta had cut Golden State's lead to 66-63 on two Allisha Gray free throws with about 11 seconds left in Saturday's Game 7, and the Dream then forced a jump ball between Gray and Gabby Williams. Burton came up with it, was fouled, and made both with 5.1 seconds showing.

Rhyne Howard's 29-foot 3-pointer missed at the other end, and the Valkyries had a 68-63 win at Chase Center and the franchise's first championship.

"I'm just so blessed, this is insane!" Burton said, according to The Associated Press. The AP noted that the Dallas Wings had cut her two years ago. Golden State knocked those same Wings out in the first round of this postseason.

Thirty-nine minutes at the point

Burton was on the floor for 39 minutes, more than anyone else in the game, and finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. All three of her field goals came in the opening quarter, and she finished 3 of 13 from the floor, but she made all four of her free throws.

Her early work kept Golden State afloat. She blocked a Gray floater in the opening minute, scored the first basket of the night on a one-legged jumper, and had six of the Valkyries' 14 first-quarter points. By halftime, with Atlanta ahead 30-24, the league's own update had her at eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Williams had two points at that stage.

Feeding the closer

The second half belonged to Williams, who scored 28 of her 30 points after the break and was named Finals MVP. Burton's role shifted to getting her the ball. She set up Williams for a driving layup midway through the third quarter, shortly before Williams' run of 3-pointers turned a six-point deficit into a one-point lead.

With the score tied at 57 and 2:18 left, it was Burton who found Williams for the 31-foot 3-pointer that put Golden State ahead for good.

She also kept working the glass in a game neither team reached 70. Three of her 10 rebounds came on the offensive end, including one with a little under six minutes left and Golden State clinging to a two-point lead.

Kiah Stokes added 13 rebounds and two blocks, and 37-year-old Tiffany Hayes, who spent a decade with Atlanta, scored 11. Jordin Canada had 18 points for the Dream and Gray had 16, while Angel Reese managed eight points to go with 12 rebounds.

A title in Year 2

Golden State finished 32-12 in the regular season, then beat Dallas in three games, swept Las Vegas and rallied from a 2-1 hole to take the best-of-seven final 4-3. It is the first title for a franchise that began play in 2025, and Saturday's game was the first Game 7 in the history of the WNBA Finals.

Sources

The Associated Press

wnba.com

ESPN