WNBA moves Finals Game 6 to Thursday afternoon

The WNBA moved Game 6 of the Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries to 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday at State Farm Arena, changing the game from its originally scheduled 8 p.m. start to make room for an Atlanta Hawks game that evening. The game will remain on USA Network and Peacock. The Hawks’ matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the same arena, after the team shifted its start time to accommodate the WNBA game and the venue’s turnaround. The Valkyries lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 after Monday’s Game 5 and can win their first championship with a victory Thursday. Atlanta needs a win to force Game 7, scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the change would allow more fans to attend at State Farm Arena. The league cited sellout crowds at Games 3 and 4 there and thanked the NBA, both teams, the Hawks, the arena and USA Network for their cooperation. The Dream generally play at Gateway Center Arena, which has about 3,500 seats, while State Farm Arena can accommodate a substantially larger crowd. The timing also raised questions about how a potential championship...