{"id":375725,"date":"2026-10-17T18:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/375725\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T18:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:20:09","slug":"dream-vs-valkyries-prediction-odds-for-game-1-best-betting-pick-for-wnba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/375725\/","title":{"rendered":"Dream vs. Valkyries prediction, odds for Game 1: Best betting pick for WNBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tGambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

Game 1 of a historic WNBA Finals series<\/a> begins Saturday afternoon as two franchises hoping to clinch their first title meet in Golden State.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Valkyries and Dream enter this series after sweeping the Aces and Liberty, respectively\u2014a result WNBA fans probably wouldn\u2019t have expected in early May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This Finals matchup marks a new chapter in the league as it moves past the old guard, with both squads winning by embracing position-less basketball, strong defense and timely 3-point shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dream vs. Valkyries Game 1 prediction, best bet <\/p>\n

Golden State has become an overnight sensation, reaching the Finals in the franchise\u2019s second year and favored at around -115 across multiple books to win the series. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s ridiculous to fathom they carried 33\/1 odds to win it all in the preseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They are led by reigning Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase, who spent three seasons as an assistant under Becky Hammon with the Aces. Gabby Williams has embraced the cornerstone role, as the former No. 4 pick and UConn standout is the early Finals MVP favorite (+100).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Valkyries have been the best offensive team in the postseason with a 114 rating on a slower, methodical pace of 88.13. Golden State has depth and proven players in Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Kiah Stokes and microwave scorer Tiffany Hayes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"GabbyGabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries looks on during Game 3 of the WNBA Semi-Finals against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also shown great resilience, racking up two double-digit wins against the Aces in the semifinals. In Game 3, they trailed 47-36 to Las Vegas before engineering a 17-0 run to take control and punch a ticket to the championship rounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nakase and the Valkyries are also unbeaten (4-0) in the playoffs at the Chase Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atlanta has been sensational throughout its playoff run, turning a late regular-season winning streak into a ten-game domination, and it hasn\u2019t lost a game since late August.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Karl Smesko, Angel Reese, and company are 13-2 against the spread over their last 15 games. Defensively, they rank atop the playoff leaderboard in steals (10.6) and defensive rating (102), and they also boast the WNBA\u2019s best net rating at +9.6, per WNBA Advanced Stats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"DeWannaDeWanna Bonner (24) of the Atlanta Dream reacts to a win over the New York Liberty during Semifinals Round 2 Game 3 of the WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center in Atlanta, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Michelle Farsi for NY Post<\/p>\n

The Dream are at their best when they take care of the basketball, execute offensively, and let Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada, and DeWanna Bonner do the rest. Gray\u2019s status remains in question following a lingering hand issue that sidelined her for two games against the Liberty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In her absence, Reese elevated her all-around game<\/a> and is second in MVP odds (+390).<\/p>\n

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps<\/p>\n

Even with a 0-3 regular-season mark against Golden State, Atlanta should keep its momentum rolling. The Dream blew open Game 1s in their first two playoff series and remain undefeated (10-0) with Bonner on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The veteran wasn\u2019t on the roster for those three head-to-head defeats, and her championship pedigree has given the Dream a major boost heading into this series opener.<\/p>\n

THE PLAY: Dream moneyline (+130, BetMGM<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Why Trust New York Post Betting<\/p>\n

Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[68626,6112,68628,9,11,10,49,51,50,319,6115,7454,11452,112085,27057],"class_list":["post-375725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-atlanta-dream","tag-betting","tag-golden-state-valkyries","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news","tag-sports","tag-sports-betting","tag-sports-picks","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-betting","tag-wnba-playoffs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}