WNBA Finals Games 3 and 4 move to Atlanta’s larger arena, shifting tipoff times

The Golden State Valkyries won’t be playing WNBA Finals games at a 3,500-seat arena, after all.

Downtown Atlanta’s State Farm Stadium, with its 17,000-seat capacity, will be the venue for Games 3 and 4 of the series, rather than Gateway Center Arena, the Atlanta Dream’s home site for most games this season on the outskirts of the city.

The Dream are moving full-time to State Farm Arena full-time next year, but scheduling conflicts were an initial roadblock to playing the games in the larger arena, with the expectation that a title series would draw higher attendance.

The move will change tipoff times: Game 3 will now be played Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, moving a day earlier. Game 4 will still be on Saturday, Oct. 24, but it will tip off at 10 a.m. PT. The NBA game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets on that date will move back 30 minutes to 5:30 p.m. PT to accommodate.

A concert by musical artist Sombr will remain on Thursday, Oct. 22 with Game 3 moving off that date.

“We are grateful for the efforts made by numerous stakeholders, including the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and NBC Sports and USA Sports,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The league did not announce any change of venue for Game 6, the other game that would be played in Atlanta if the series goes that long. That game is currently scheduled to be played at Gateway Center Arena on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. PT, with the Hawks set to host the Cleveland Cavaliers that evening.

However, USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall reported that more discussion could determine whether that game should be moved if the series goes longer than five games.

The games will remain on their planned television channels, with Game 3 on USA and Game 4 on NBC. Peacock will stream both games.

Golden State home games will not be impacted by the moves to put the Atlanta games in a larger venue.

The Valkyries and Chase Center resolved their own scheduling conflict with a Doja Cat concert scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, the same night as Game 3. The Southern California-raised rapper will now play her show on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Here is the full schedule for the series:

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m. PT (NBC/Peacock)

Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 5 p.m. PT (USA/Peacock)

Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 5 p.m. PT (USA/Peacock)

Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. PT (NBC/Peacock)

Game 5: Monday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m. PT (USA/Peacock)

Game 6: Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m. PT (USA/Peacock)

Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 p.m. PT (USA/Peacock)