With just 10 games left in the regular season, the Valkyries have clinched a spot in the playoffs and sit in second place in the WNBA standings.
Going into the All-Star break, the Valkyries were back-and-forth with the Las Vegas Aces for the number two spot, but they’ve won 15 of their last 17 games to establish a two-and-a-half-game lead over Vegas and two games ahead of the Indiana Fever. They are three games behind the Minnesota Lynx, who they play on Wednesday.
Where the Valkyries end up in the standings matters for home court advantage in the play-offs and determines who their first round opponent will be. If the playoffs were to start today, the Valkyries would host the seventh-seed Washington Mystics at Chase Center to open the first round and have home-court advantage in the second round if they make it.
Last year, the Valkyries hosted only one home game during the playoffs, which was held in San Jose instead of Chase Center, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Lynx and the Aces are the only other squads to have clinched playoff berths already this year. So far this season, the Valkyries have yet to beat either team. They have two more chances to play the Lynx this season and vie for their first win over Minnesota in Valkyries franchise history (they went 0-6 against the Lynx last year).
But, unlike last season, when the Valkyries struggled to beat any of the playoff teams, this year they have dominated the league’s other top teams. Against the rest of the WNBA’s playoff-caliber teams, Atlanta, Washington, New York, Indiana and Dallas, Golden State is a combined 12-2.
Defense has been central to the Valkyries identity and success.
In a WNBA season where teams are scoring more than ever, the Valkyries have allowed their opponents just 76.9 points per game on average, the lowest in the WNBA. They are the only team to hold foes under 80 points per game. They force an average of 13.7 turnovers per game, too, making them an exhausting team to try to score against.
But the Valkyries have always been strong defensively. What is different this year?
“We’ve been just a much more steady team throughout this year,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “Obviously, we have our ups and downs, but we’re super deep, and we’re just relying and winning in so many different ways, and that’s I would say a little bit unique to last year.”
That depth has been key.
Golden State defeated Chicago last week without its starting center, Kiah Stokes, who was out on concussion protocol, and their top bench scorer, Janelle Salaun, who was out with right knee soreness. In their first game without a true center, Laeticia Amihere made her first WNBA start and Ashten Prechtel, on a developmental deal, played 18 minutes.
They scored a season-high 49 bench points against Chicago, led by Tiffany Hayes, who had her own season-high 22 points. Kaila Charles, who has offered consistent defense and rebounding off the bench, also hit her most points of the season with 15.
Despite missing Salaun, who leads the WNBA with 13.1 bench points per game, Golden State improved its bench scoring average to 36.1 points per game. The single-season record is within reach.
During the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, the Las Vegas Aces averaged 35.0 bench points per game over 22 games. The full-season record is 33.9 bench points per game, set by the Minnesota Lynx in 2008 when the season lasted just 34 games.
“It’s just the next-man-up mentality, and that’s been us since the beginning,” Burton said. “Whoever we have available is who we’re rocking with, and we trust every single person on this roster.”
Hayes scored 10 off the bench on Monday in the clinching win against Dallas, including hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter from half court.
“Tip Hayes is fearless, and yeah, I’m taking those shots every day,” Nakase said about Hayes’ decision to take the momentum-changing shot.
The strength of the Valkyries bench, from Salaun to Charles to Hayes, has allowed Nakase to prioritize player recovery leading up to the playoffs without the team’s record taking a hit. Last week, she said the team has a minutes restriction for Hayes, who is in her 14th WNBA season, and Nakase has been open about prioritizing recovery for star Gabby Williams especially.
Williams was candid about overuse down the stretch last year with Seattle, where she averaged 31.6 minutes per game during the season. She has only played 30-plus minutes in six games this year, and said she was grateful she has had a chance to recover while still serving as the Valkyries’ top scorer.
Monday’s win against Dallas was the first time she played more than 23 minutes since the All-Star break.
“I came here to win,” Williams said. “I’ve said that since day one. I’ve been very clear about that. How do you do that? You go game by game. So how do we do that? We gotta beat Minnesota Wednesday.”
