Suddenly, the Golden State Valkyries dream expansion season is on life support. The eighth-seeded Valkyries made their postseason debut on Sunday, and lost to the championship-or-best top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 101-72. With the first round of the WNBA Playoffs being a best-of-three series, the Valkyries now have their back against the wall, and will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat given that they’ve lost four straight games, three of which have come against the Lynx.
Golden State was blown out
in their regular season finale by the Lynx, which set up this first round matchup. But they looked like a dramatically different team Sunday morning, with their offensive struggles nowhere to be found in the early going. They rattled off an early 9-0 run to take an 11-4 lead, and quickly led by double digits. After needing 17 attempts and three quarters to make their first three on Thursday, they drained one less than three minutes into Sunday’s game, and shot 5-for-8 from deep in the first quarter alone. After being held to just 22 points in the first half a few days ago, Golden State hit that mark with nearly two minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
The Valkyries also showed improved composure from their last game. After the Lynx found some rhythm and pulled within a point, Golden State executed a perfect two-for-one to end the first quarter, with a pair of made threes bookending a defensive stop. The Valks led 28-21 at the end of the first quarter, and had quieted the usually raucous Target Center crowd.
But legendary coach Cheryl Reeve was able to make adjustments between quarters, as the Lynx tightened up their defense. Suddenly the Valkyries couldn’t find anything on offense, as Minnesota erased the lead and finally took the lead just past the halfway mark of the second. It felt like just a few seconds later when the Lynx had pushed the lead to double-digits. But the Valkyries remained in it, trailing just 47-40 at halftime, and still having hopes of stealing Game 1.
Those hopes were quickly dashed in the third quarter, when the Lynx exploded out of the gates. They quickly turned it into a 15-point game, and from there the lead kept growing. Minnesota had figured out Golden State’s exceptional defense, and poured in a remarkable 32 points in the quarter. By the time the buzzer rang and the fourth quarter arrived, it was a 79-58 lead for the Lynx, and all that remained was the window dressing.
And even that window dressing didn’t go well. Having the game secured didn’t make the Lynx let up on defense, as the Valkyries struggled to score, netting just 14 points in the frame, and losing 101-72.
For the second straight game, the Valkyries were punished by MVP candidate Napheesa collier, who finished with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. And, for the second straight game, the Valkyries were held to fairly paltry shooting percentages: 33.9% from the field and 29.0% from deep.
No one starred for Golden State, but it was a balanced offensive attack, with five different players scoring in double figures. Kate Martin had 11 points off the bench, but the rest of the reserves combined for just six points in limited action as coach Natalie Nakase rode her starters hard.
Golden State will now head home … sort of. Due to a prior obligation that was scheduled before Golden State was awarded an expansion team, the Valkyries won’t be able to play their first home playoff game at the Chase Center. Instead, they’ll host the Lynx at the SAP Center in San Jose on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. PT.
Winning won’t be easy: not only are the Lynx the best team in the league, but they’re undefeated in five games against the Valkyries this year. But with their home fans behind them, hopefully the Valkyries can pull out a victory, and set up a huge Game 3 on Friday in Minny.
