Rhyne Howard scored 16 points and Naz Hillmon added 15 for Atlanta, which will host Game 4 on Saturday at State Farm Arena. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points, while Tiffany Hayes had 14.

The game was tied at 49 in the third quarter before Atlanta scored eight straight points, four of them from Reese. The Valkyries cut the margin to 59-55, but the Dream closed the period with a 12-2 run. Atlanta has outscored Golden State 63-35 in the third quarter across the first three games.

Reese has delivered a double-double in every game of the series. She had 30 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2, Atlanta’s first Finals victory. “I put the work in for this moment and I’m just happy I could lead the team to a win,” Reese said. “We’re feeling good going into Saturday.”

Wednesday’s sold-out crowd filled State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The game had been moved from Gateway Center Arena, where the Dream usually play their home games and which seats about 3,500. State Farm Arena can accommodate more than 17,000; the league and the venues arranged to play the next two Finals games there to provide a larger crowd. Saturday’s Game 4 is also sold out.

Howard said the team’s focus is to “protect home court” and reward the fans. Atlanta opened the game 9-1 as Golden State missed its first eight shots. The Dream led 23-15 after the first quarter and were ahead 46-40 at halftime, when the teams had combined to make 15 of 31 three-point attempts.

The Finals opened with strong television audiences: Game 1 averaged 2.1 million viewers on NBC, a record for a WNBA Finals opener, while Game 2 averaged 1.33 million on USA Network.