Valkyries instant analysis: Golden State fights hard, but can't close out A'ja Wilson-led Aces
Six days ago, the Las Vegas Aces outclassed the Valkyries in front of their home crowd.
Golden State came much closer to knocking them off on Saturday - just not close enough.
The Valkyries lost to Las Vegas 84-79 on Saturday, but this wasn't the Golden State squad that got dominated last Sunday at Chase Center. They held the Aces' role players in check and made A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young carry the offense almost entirely on their own.
It just wasn't enough.
With a chance to tie late in the game, point guard Veronica Burton missed the second of two free throws and the Aces hit their foul shots to win the game.
Gabby Williams had her best game of the season, finishing with a career-high 27 points and six rebounds. Burton had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Janelle Salaün scored 11 points off the bench.
Wilson, though, had a monster game, finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Jackie Young hit every big shot for the defending champions down the stretch, scoring 27 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
NorCal native Chelsea Gray scored 12 and had six assists as she tied her head coach Becky Hammon on the franchise's all-time assists list.
Saturday’s loss marked the first time the Valkyries have lost back-to-back games this season.
“It was just mental mistakes,” Williams said. “We had great momentum in the last two, three minutes. In the fourth quarter, we just allowed little things to kind of distract us. We have to be better at that.”
Wilson single-handedly beat the Valkyries in the first quarter. The reigning league MVP scored 14 points through the first 10 minutes, tying her season-high for points in a period.
Despite opening the game 1-for-8 from the 3-point line, the Valkyries recovered in the second quarter. Williams, Thornton and Salaün combined for 26 points in the first half as Golden State trailed by three at the break.
No team gained a clear edge and went into the fourth quarter neck and neck.
Burton’s driving layup with 38.3 seconds left put the Valkyries up 78-77. Las Vegas responded with a step back 3-pointer from Young on the following possession, putting the Aces up two with 19.1 seconds remaining.
Down two, Burton was fouled on a reverse layup to the basket. However, she hit just one of two free throws and the Valkyries had to foul on the rebound. Young hit two more free throws to put the Aces up three.
Needing a 3-pointer to tie the game, Salaün's contested corner 3-pointer clanked off the rim and Wilson sunk two more free throws to ice the game.
“It just didn’t go through, but that’s all you can ask for is just to get a look at three,” Williams said of the team’s final shot.
The Valkyries are now 1-5 against the Aces dating back to last season, having lost five straight matchups.
Despite the loss, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said she was proud of her team’s effort.
“After both losses with Minnesota and Vegas, we’re facing great talent, great experience and teams that have a lot of heavy minutes in the playoffs. Honestly, I am really proud of our team,” Nakase said. “We’re building a great outlook in terms of our minutes and understanding the importance of every possession.
“I felt like this game, maybe about five possessions, I thought were a little bit too much in the gray for us and we were kind of doing things that were a little bit random, but if we can lock in possessions … it matters.”
Williams bounce back
After registering her lowest point total of the season, Williams looked more aggressive to get her own shot on Saturday.
Williams scored 10 points in the first half on 4-for-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-3 from beyond the arc.
She finished shooting 10-for-17 from the field and 3-for-7 from the 3-point arc. Seven of her 10 makes were from inside the paint.
“Everyone’s been talking to me and encouraging me to shoot the ball and get to my spots,” Williams said.
Small ball
Starting center Kiah Stokes had another rough outing.
The former Aces player drew the assignment of guarding Wilson early, but couldn't hang with the former South Carolina standout. She played just 17 minutes and was mostly benched in the fourth quarter.
Nakase opted to go small, playing Thornton and Salaün in the two frontcourt spots. The move worked out well in the first half as the duo cut the Aces' 12-point first-half lead to just three at the conclusion of the second quarter.
Thornton and Salaün combined for 21 points while Thornton registered a plus-minus rating of +3.
Williams credited Thornton for her work on the defensive end when she did have to play at center.
“I think KT is just one heck of a hustler, and you just feed off that when you see someone going that hard – crashing, creating extra possessions,” Williams said. “You feed off of it, and then it helps you see the ball go through.”
Amihere, Jocytė DNP’s
Nakase opted to not play backup center Laeticia Amihere and rookie guard Justė Jocytė against the Aces.
It was Jocytė’s first healthy scratch of the season after she played in each of the five games she was active for.
Nakase said Amihere’s DNP was “matchup related.” Prior to Sunday’s loss to Las Vegas, Amihere played at least 10 minutes a night.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 2:49 PM.