Kiah Stokes leads the Valkyries past the Dream 64-55 for a 3-2 WNBA Finals lead

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night at Chase Center, taking a 3-2 series lead and moving one win from a championship in the franchise's second season.

Kiah Stokes led the way at both ends. The center scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, made three 3-pointers, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots. According to the Associated Press, she has now blocked at least three shots in six straight games, which ties Lisa Leslie's 2003 record for the longest such streak in a single WNBA postseason. ESPN Research had Atlanta shooting 1 of 7 when Stokes contested the shot.

"We appreciate you," Stokes told the crowd from the floor after the buzzer, with the arena chanting "MVP!" "We got one more."

Veronica Burton added 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Tiffany Hayes, who played 10 seasons in Atlanta before coming out of retirement, scored 12, and Cecilia Zandalasini had 12 off the bench. Coach Natalie Nakase kept Hayes and Kaila Charles in the starting lineup after making that change for Saturday's 67-62 Game 4 win, and it paid off again.

Gabby Williams, Golden State's leading scorer, had a rough night. She started 2 for 11 and finished with nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, but her three-point play with 9:08 left put the Valkyries up 49-42.

This was a defensive game from the start. Golden State led 25-22 at halftime, which the AP said was the lowest-scoring first half in WNBA Finals history. The two teams combined to go 5 for 29 from 3-point range before the break. Rhyne Howard's three-point play with 4:59 left in the third pulled Atlanta within 34-31, and the Valkyries pulled away from there. Stokes hit a 3 late in the third and another with 7:21 left in the game.

Howard led the Dream with 20 points. Jordin Canada scored 12 on 5-of-16 shooting, and Allisha Gray had 10. Angel Reese, who scored 30 in Game 2 and 21 in Game 3, finished with seven points, 15 rebounds and five assists on 2-of-8 shooting and was called for three offensive fouls. Atlanta outrebounded Golden State 44-33 but shot 29.2% from the field, and its 55 points were its lowest total of the season, according to ESPN.

Game 6 is Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. If the Dream win, Game 7 would be back at Chase Center on Saturday, Halloween. "I'd like to see it be a national holiday for all WNBA championship games," Dream coach Karl Smesko said of the midday tip.