The Golden State Valkyries had to change some things up to even the WNBA Finals on Saturday.
But what hasn't changed for the Valkyries as they get set to face the Atlanta Dream again on Monday night is the looming presence of defensive anchor Kiah Stokes.
Stokes arguably has been the Valkyries' unsung hero throughout this historic playoff run, which has seen Golden State move within two wins of a championship in its second season of existence. With a home win at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, the Valkyries will take a 3-2 series lead back to Atlanta's State Farm Arena on Thursday afternoon.
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Stokes passed a Brittney Griner milestone by blocking three shots in each of this series' first four games. She scored only four points in Game 4, but her 16 rebounds -- including eight offensive boards -- were a playoff career-high.
Angel Reese has not had a good time against Kiah Stokes in this series. But she’s not alone. None of the star bigs Stokes has faced this postseason have had much success. It’s time to respect the run. https://t.co/53xuJx1HaZ
— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 25, 2026In particular, Stokes has given Dream superstar Angel Reese a difficult time where Reese has feasted on any other Valkyries defender.
As Nekias Duncan writes on Yahoo Sports, Reese is shooting 63.3 percent against all other Golden State defenders. When she comes up against the brick wall of Stokes, that percentage drops to 23.8 percent: Reese has made only five of her 19 attempts when Stokes is the primary defender.
Stokes also has wiped out Reese's innate rebounding advantage. It's only when Stokes is on the bench that Reese has rebounded the ball at her usual prodigious level. Her offensive rebound rate has skyrocketed to 40 percent when Stokes isn't on the floor; it is 20 percent when Stokes is on the court.
Stokes shows up to work, consistently dominates defensively and goes home. That consistency played a large part in deciding the winner of Game 4 and could do so again in Game 5.
