Valkyries Open WNBA Semifinals at Home Against Champion Aces
The short version
- Las Vegas swept the three-game regular-season series against Golden State.
- The Valkyries had the WNBA's best defense; the Aces ranked No. 2 offensively.
- A'ja Wilson led the league at 26.2 points per game and averaged 25 against Golden State.
- Golden State led the WNBA with 30.3 three-point attempts and 10.4 makes per game.
- Game 1 is Sunday, October 4 at 4:00 PM EDT on NBC and Peacock.
Golden State, the No. 2 seed and highest remaining seed, hosts third-seeded Las Vegas, which won all three regular-season meetings between the teams.
The Golden State Valkyries will carry the highest remaining seed into the WNBA semifinals when they meet the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-five series beginning Sunday at Chase Center. Golden State finished second in the standings; Las Vegas was third.
Las Vegas took all three regular-season meetings. On May 31, A'ja Wilson posted 28 points and 15 rebounds to overcome 16 made three-pointers from Golden State in a 91-81 Aces win. Jackie Young's step-back three with 24 seconds remaining decided an 84-79 game on June 6, and Las Vegas closed the season series with a 92-73 victory on June 21.
The matchup pairs the WNBA's top defense, belonging to Golden State, against the league's No. 2 offense. Wilson, a four-time MVP, led the WNBA in scoring at 26.2 points per game and averaged 25 points across the three meetings with the Valkyries.
Wilson is one of three established scorers Golden State must handle. In Game 3 of Las Vegas' first-round win over Indiana, Wilson (36 points), Chelsea Gray (23) and Young (18) combined for 77 of the Aces' 94 points. Young averaged 18.9 points, 10th in the league, on 48.8 percent shooting with 6.8 assists per game in the regular season, and raised her output to 23.7 points on 59.1 percent shooting in three games against Golden State.
Against Dallas in the opening round, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton contained Paige Bueckers' scoring and playmaking, though Arike Ogunbowale still posed problems. That approach is harder to replicate against a team with three creators, and center Kiah Stokes, who captured three championships with the Aces, gives Golden State an option if it wants to vary its coverage of Wilson while keeping attention on Gray and Young.
Three-point shooting is Golden State's clearest path to keeping pace. The Valkyries led the WNBA in both attempts (30.3 per game) and makes (10.4), and they matched a franchise mark with 18 threes while setting the franchise's scoring record in Game 1 against Dallas. More may be needed from Janelle Salaün, who set a WNBA record for bench scoring in the regular season but has shot 2-for-9 from three while averaging 5.7 points this postseason.
Gabby Williams has shown she can carry the late scoring load. After starting 1-for-8 in Game 3 against Dallas, she went 5-for-9 from there as Golden State rallied from 16 points down to advance. Tiffany Hayes supplied bench scoring in that series and Kaila Charles defended in the closing minutes, a depth edge the Valkyries will need again.
The series also reunites two coaches with shared history. Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was among the first assistants Becky Hammon hired after taking the Las Vegas job and was part of the Aces' championship run before leaving for Golden State in 2025.
Game 1 is set for Sunday, October 4 at 4:00 PM EDT at Chase Center. Coverage airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.
Games to watch
