In partnership with

Introducing Fair Game from Vanity Fair

Join Mark Guiducci for a series of wide-ranging conversations with cultural leaders from the worlds of Hollywood, Politics, Style, Silicon Valley, and beyond. 

On every episode, Vanity Fair pulls back the curtain on how some of the most interesting and powerful minds in our society work – and where they see us going. On Fair Game from Vanity Fair, no subject is off limits.

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream

Angel Reese, pictured with the Dream in May 2026. Photo: John Mac / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

WNBA FINALS · GAME 7 · Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries · Chase Center · Saturday 31 October · Series tied 3-3

THE INJURY REPORT 🩹

Team

Player

Status

Atlanta

Brionna Jones

Out for the season (leg)

Atlanta

Te-Hina Paopao

Questionable (leg)

Golden State

Iliana Rupert

Out (not injury related)

Golden State

Tiffany Hayes

Not on the report, status unclear after Game 6 collision

THE STORY 🗞️

For the first time in WNBA history, the Finals come down to one game. Atlanta and Golden State meet in Game 7 at Chase Center tonight, and whoever wins lifts a first championship.

Atlanta forced this with an 80-69 win in Game 6 on Thursday. Allisha Gray scored 23 and Rhyne Howard 21, and the pair combined for 11 threes. Angel Reese added 15 and set the Finals record for total rebounds in a series, per BallIsLife.

Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 26. Golden State now gets the decider at home, and the expansion side is trying to become the fastest new franchise to win the title since Seattle in 2004.

ALL EYES ON TIFFANY HAYES 👀

The biggest question is a Valkyries guard. Tiffany Hayes collided with Gray while both dove for a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter of Game 6. She stayed down, was helped to the locker room and did not return, after scoring 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

❝

"She looked good to me. She looked fine."

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, after Game 6, via USA Today Sports

Hayes is not on the official injury report, per Sports Illustrated, but there was no final ruling on her in the reports we checked. For Atlanta, Te-Hina Paopao is questionable again after being ruled out for Game 6, and Gray has been playing through a hand injury.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING 🎙️

❝

"It is do or die, officially."

Valkyries guard Veronica Burton, via BallIsLife

Dream coach Karl Smesko said his team knows "the job is not done." Atlanta has lost in the Finals three times before.

OUR TAKE 🐶

Atlanta has the momentum and the hot shooting after Game 6. Golden State has the building, and its wins in this series have come from grit and from big scoring nights from Williams and Hayes.

That is why Hayes matters so much. If she is close to full speed, the Valkyries look like the team the market expects. If she is limited, Atlanta's guards have a real edge.

THE BETTING ANGLE 🎯

The DHP Playboard had Golden State as a slim favorite at midday: Valkyries -1.5 (+100 at Hard Rock), Dream +1.5 (-115 at DraftKings), with a total of 142.5. Watch for Hayes news before tip, since that is the item most likely to move this number. For our analysts' takes, follow DawgHousePicks.

HOW TO WATCH 📺: Game 7 tips off tonight at 8:00 PM ET (midnight UK) on USA Network, CNBC and Peacock.

DHP PROMOS 🎟️

  • ProphetX (exchange): code DAWG75. Deposit $50, get $75 free

  • Polymarket (prediction market): code DAWG for a free $50 and to skip the 1.7M member queue

21+ and where legal only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Who lifts the trophy tonight? Let us know below.

Sources

◇