Valkyries instant analysis: A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young go off as Aces dominate Golden State
SAN FRANCISCO - Over their first seven games of the 2026 season, the Valkyries relied on their connectivity and chemistry to lead them to their five wins.
But on Sunday afternoon, Golden State's lack of star power was evident in a 91-81 loss to the Las Vegas Aces at home. The Valkyries couldn’t beat reigning MVP A'ja Wilson, who scored 28 points, and superstar Jackie Young, who added 23.
“We let our offense dictate our defense again, instead of our defense dictating our offense,” Valkyries forward Gabby Williams said. “We were relying on scoring versus getting stops.”
Golden State shot 33.8% from the field and committed 12 turnovers.
Williams led the Valkyries with 20 points. After a career night Thursday in a win over the Indiana Fever, point guard Veronica Burton had seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
The Valkyries hung with the defending champions in the first half, but lost control in the third quarter.
Golden State was outscored 29-13 out of the halftime break. Wilson scored 13 and Young had 11 in thethird quarter as the home team had no answer for the best offensive duo in the league.
Las Vegas’lead grew to 24 in the final 10 minutes. The Valkyries cut it down to as small as eight, but it was too little too late as the Aces cruised to a dominant win.
“It starts with my leadership, what I’m saying to them and how I’m prepping them,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “I got to correct my message. I got to deliver better. I have to be better because they’re only going to go based off of the messages that I’m sending.”
Little run for Jocytė
After closing the game against the Fever, 20-year-old rookie Juste Jocytė didn't get much run against the Aces.
Despite needing some type of offensive creator in the second half, Nakase opted to stick with veteran Tiffany Hayes and backup point guard Kailtyn Chen when Burton and Williams were off the floor.
Hayes played 14 minutes, finished with five points and had a plus-minus rating of minus-16. Chen had five points in 12 minutes.
Jocytė checked into the game at the 5:29 mark of the fourth quarter with the Valkyries down 20. She missed her first shot of the game, a pull-up 3-point shot, then hit a 3 from the left wing. Jocytė also had a good sequence when she attacked the basket and dished out to an open Williams, who hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 11 with 1:51 left in the game.
Nakase said she is still trying to ease Jocytė into the rotation, though the Lithuanian guard played nearly 16 straight second-half minutes against the Fever.
“She’s still four practices in so far and still letting her body adjust,” Nakase said. “We’re just easing her in because again, if I throw her out there and then all of a sudden she goes down, I’m gonna look in the mirror and be like, ‘What are we doing?’ I have to make sure we ease her in at the right time.”
She finished with five points in five minutes.
New starting lineup
Nakase had stuck with the same starting lineup for each of the Valkyries' first seven games this season, with Burton, Williams, Kaila Charles, Kayla Thornton and Kiah Stokes opening games.
But on Sunday, Nakase inserted sharpshooter Cecilia Zandalasini for defensive stopper Charles.
Playing in her third game since returning from a jaw injury, Zandalasini scored nine points and gave the Valkyries a much-needed scoring punch against Las Vegas' offensive powerhouse.
Thornton bounces back
The 33-year-old forward struggled in the Valkyries' win over the Fever on Thursday, finishing without scoring a point for the second time this season.
Thornton bounced back, scoring 12 points while hitting 4-of-7 of her 3-point attempts.
“What was great with KT is that she maintained her space,” Nakase said. “The way we were trying to ramp our defense up, I wanted to make sure that we got fresh bodies, but there was no way I even wanted to take KT out today.”
Burton update
The Valkyries’ starting point guard came out of the game after taking a few tough hits. In one instance, Burton seemed to wince and grab her leg as she sat on the bench.
Nakase said she believes the 25-year-old will be OK, but will be monitoring her health.
“It was pretty short and quick. She didn’t look like she was in any pain, so I’ll obviously have a conversation with her later today,” Nakase said of Burton’s breaks. “She’s played lacrosse, so she’s used to those hits, but I also have to be mindful of health.”
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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 3:18 PM.