The first trip to the WNBA Semifinals in the Golden State Valkyries’ short history started off on the right foot, with the Valkyries beating the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces 71-60 on Sunday afternoon. It was a massive victory for Golden State, as they proved they can get the better of an Aces team that won all three matchups in the regular season. Not only that, but teams that win the first game in a best-of-five series have historically won the series 70% of the time in the WNBA, so Golden State striking
first gives them a significant advantage as they eye a trip to the WNBA Finals in just their second season.
It was a defense-centric game in the early going, which certainly wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to these teams this year; Golden State had the best defensive rating in the WNBA by a mile, while Vegas was fifth in the 15-team league. The Valkyries set the tone immediately, when Kiah Stokes blocked A’ja Wilson — who will likely collect her third consecutive, and fifth total MVP award this season — on the very first possession of the game. That wasn’t a one-off play either, as the Valks were playing tremendous defense and bringing as much energy as you would expect in the early going.
But similar to their dramatic series-clinching win over the Dallas Wings on Friday, Golden State’s offensive execution was far outpacing their success. They were moving the ball well, getting good looks, and grabbing a bunch of offensive rebounds, but they were struggling to make any shots, even wide open threes. Wilson, meanwhile, was starting to go to work for the Aces, who led 11:8 at the first timeout, nearly halfway through the quarter.
Gabby Williams, who was ice cold in the first half on Friday, hit a mid-range jumper out of the timeout, and it was a sign of what type of quarter she would have. The timeout had energized the Valkyries, who immediately got a stop, which led to a Kayla Thornton triple. By this point, it had turned into a tremendously entertaining game, even though it was still so early. Both teams brought A+ energy and effort, and the pace was excellent. Golden State’s defense locked in late and completely swarmed Vegas, as Ballhalla started popping, embracing high-stakes basketball at the Chase Center.
The two-for-one highlighted the success of the quarter: after the Valkyries missed a shot, they gathered their sixth offensive rebound of the quarter (compared to zero for the Aces). That led to Williams getting fouled, and she made both free throws, giving her 13 points in the first quarter. After stops from both teams, Golden State led 22-18 after a highly-entertaining opening frame.
Golden State took control of the game as soon as the second quarter started, scoring five quick points to cap a 14-2 run. They were holding Las Vegas to only contested looks, and the Aces didn’t score until more than two-and-a-half minutes had eclipsed in the quarter. It was truly suffocating defense, made all the more impressive by the fact that Vegas had the second-best offense in the WNBA this year and, as a team making their eighth consecutive trip to the semifinals, is chock full of players with experience in the biggest moments.
At the 4:22 mark, Veronica Burton sunk a savvy floater, pushing the lead to 11 points. It was the first time all night that Golden State would hold a double-digit lead, but it certainly was not the last.
After Wilson’s excellent first quarter, the Valkyries were doing a great job keeping the ball out of her hands in the second. They were holding Vegas’ supporting cast — full of stars like Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray — to difficult looks, and it was compounded for the Aces by their cold shooting.
But there’s only so long that the best players in the league can be contained. Wilson, whose 26.2 points per game this year lead the league by a full 1.5 points, started to take over late, and Golden State had no answers. Behind Wilson’s elite elbow and post game, the Aces ended the first half on an 8-0 run, stealing some of the momentum and making it a close game. Golden State’s lead was just 34-31 at the break, and they had committed seven turnovers while forcing just three.
The intermission did nothing to change the game from being defense-focused to offense-focused. Both teams came out of the locker rooms cold, at least when shooting the ball. It was a spirited defensive effort for both squads, and a discouraging offensive one. Finally the Valkyries broke through with a little burst, forcing Becky Hammon to call timeout about four minutes in, with the lead back to seven points.
But Gray would answer with a three out of the break, as Vegas’ veteran experience shined through. Even though Golden State was controlling the game, the Aces always seemed to have an answer to keep the game from getting out of control. It hung in the four-to-seven point range for a few minutes, with the Aces never able to get over the hump, but the Valkyries never able to get much separation.
That changed late in the third quarter. On an otherwise-swarming defensive possession by Las Vegas, Golden State was able to find a hole in the coverage, with Williams whipping a brilliant pass through the pick and roll defense to Aminata Gueye, who converted through contact, made the and-one, and pushed the Valkyies lead to 10 points with 2:21 remaining.
Gueye, an undrafted rookie who was signed at the end of the season and played just one game and four minutes, was surprisingly leaned on off the bench, in part because of her 6’4 frame against Wilson. And she responded in a huge way. That was just one of multiple big plays she made, as the 24-year old from France impacted the game on both ends of the court, helping the Valkyries maintain a 56-48 lead after the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter got underway, it increasingly began to feel like it was five players against A’ja Wilson. Admittedly, that’s a formula that can sometimes work for Las Vegas, as Wilson is simply that good. But on this afternoon, the Valkyries had too much talent for the superstar to do it all herself, and she wasn’t getting much help. An early burst by Golden State pushed the lead back to 11 points after three minutes, with Williams and Kaitlyn Chen taking over, and forcing a desperation timeout by the Aces.
With just under six minutes remaining, and the Valkyries nursing an eight-point lead, Golden State had what felt like the defining possession of the game. Williams missed a layup, but Stokes grabbed the offensive rebound, which led to Chen hoisting a deep three. That shot missed, but Thornton was there for the offensive board, which led to a Kaila Charles three-point attempt. Charles, too, missed, but Thornton again grabbed the miss. This time Thornton took it up herself, but was blocked. So she grabbed yet another offensive rebound, and finally drew a foul.
Thornton only made one of the free throws, but it was a critical moment in a game where the Valkyries won the offensive rebounding battle 17-2. It was only a one-point possession, but it took 40 seconds off the clock, and you could seemingly see Vegas’ spirit breaking in real time.
Golden State held the lead for a while, still unable to fully put the game away, but keeping the Aces from getting any good looks. Finally, with only a few minutes remaining, the Valkyries were able to put the game on ice. Golden State had been doing a brilliant job turning defensive stops into transition opportunities, and Williams exemplified that at the 2:44 mark, attacking an unset defense for a layup that followed a Chen block, and pushed the lead back to 11 points. After Wilson uncharacteristically missed a pair of free throws, Chen made a driving layup at the two-minute mark, and the Valkyries led by 13. Hammon would give her team just one more empty possession before pulling her starters, waiving the white flag, and turning her attention to Game 2.
Williams was the star both by the eye and by the box score, as she finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Chen was the only other Valkyrie in double digits, as she netted 11 points off the bench, but two other Golden State players had double-digit rebounds: Stokes (14) and Thornton (11). Stokes in particular had a tremendously impactful game, as she also blocked four shots … even though she didn’t score all game.
Wilson led the Aces with 24 points, but needed 21 shots and 11 free throws to get there. Gray (16) and Young (11). were the only other Vegas players in double figures.
The teams will now get a few days off to watch film and figure out counterattacks for Game 2. They’ll match up again on Wednesday night at the Chase Center, with the Valkyries hoping to take a commanding lead before the series heads over to Sin City. Game 2 is at 6:30 p.m. PT, and will be aired on NBC Sports Bay Area and Peacock.
