87 — 77
Las Vegas had the first half in hand
For two quarters, this looked like an Aces result built on star power and control. Las Vegas led 19-16 after the first quarter and stretched that margin to 45-36 by halftime, with Chelsea Gray doing much of the damage early. Gray scored 15 of her 17 points before the break, mixing two three-pointers, free throws and mid-range makes, while A'ja Wilson supplied 12 first-half points of her own.
Golden State kept finding just enough offence to avoid a runaway. Kaitlyn Chen trimmed the first-quarter deficit with two free throws and a pullup jumper in the final minute, and Cecilia Zandalasini opened the second by cutting the margin to one. Each time, though, Las Vegas had an answer: Gray hit from deep, Wilson connected from 26 feet, and Kalani Brown finished three layups on the way to eight points and eight rebounds. At intermission, the Aces had the pace of the game where they wanted it.
The third-quarter turn changed everything
The game turned after Las Vegas pushed the lead to 47-36 on Wilson free throws at 9:10 of the third. From there, Golden State produced the decisive run of regulation, scoring 17 unanswered points while the Aces went cold from the field. Kiah Stokes began the surge with a layup at 7:56, Kayla Thornton hit from long range and from the line, Tiffany Hayes added a three and a layup, and Stokes capped the burst with a three-pointer for a 53-47 Valkyries lead at 2:24.
That stretch did more than flip the scoreboard. It announced the terms Golden State preferred: extra possessions, pressure on the ball and repeated finishes inside. Stokes was central to that change, ending the night with 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while making all five of her field-goal attempts. Thornton paired 18 points with nine rebounds, and the Valkyries finished with a 43-35 edge on the glass after trailing for most of the first half.
Las Vegas did recover enough to keep the game alive. Jackie Young ended the field-goal drought with a floater at 2:07 of the third and then added another basket at 1:35, cutting the deficit to 53-52 entering the fourth. Still, the quarter belonged entirely to Golden State. After conceding 45 points in the first half, the Valkyries held the Aces to seven in the third and gave themselves a route back into a game that had seemed to be slipping away.
Burton and Williams helped finish the comeback
The fourth quarter swung back toward Las Vegas before Golden State steadied itself again. Wilson's free throw tied the game at 53, and the Aces rebuilt a 65-59 lead when Young completed a three-point play with 5:10 remaining. That should have been a platform. Instead, Golden State answered patiently: Gabby Williams scored twice from mid-range and at the rim, Veronica Burton added a short basket and two free throws, and Stokes cut the gap to two with 2:17 left.
Then came the late possessions that pushed the game into overtime. Thornton tied it 69-69 on a layup with 1:50 to play, Burton gave Golden State a 71-69 lead on a 9-foot shot at 1:12, and Young replied for Las Vegas with a tying layup with 26.6 seconds left. Neither side found the winning basket in regulation, but the finish had already shifted toward the team that looked calmer in the scramble.
Overtime removed most of the suspense. Hayes opened the extra period with a layup, Williams followed with another, and after Gray briefly cut it to 75-73, Golden State put the game away through execution at both ends. Hayes scored again, Williams hit four straight free throws around an 18-foot jumper, and Thornton buried the final four free throws of the night. The Valkyries scored 16 points in overtime, went 8-for-8 at the line in the extra session and held Las Vegas to six.
Our take
Golden State won without a big three-point night, and that is the most convincing part of the result. The Valkyries shot 7-for-24 from deep, but they compensated with work that travelled across the whole game: 43 rebounds, 12 steals, 17 points off turnovers, 40 points in the paint and 20-for-22 shooting at the foul line. When a team can survive mediocre perimeter shooting and still control the possession battle, its margin for error widens considerably.
For Las Vegas, the warning signs sit in the numbers around its stars. Wilson, Young and Gray combined for 56 points, yet the Aces still lost by 10 because the rest of the night tilted the other way: 15 turnovers, only 35 rebounds, and that seven-point third quarter that invited Golden State back in. Cleaner ball security would have changed the shape of the game immediately, because the Valkyries turned those mistakes into 17 points.
There is also a useful note for the winners. Golden State's comeback should not hide the fact that it spent most of regulation chasing the scoreboard and hit under 30 per cent from three. The Valkyries earned this one with force and discipline late; a sharper start would make that formula less demanding. On this night, though, the finish was enough, and Williams was the clearest reason why.
Scoring moments
- 1st Quarter · 9:40
Kalani Brown makes 4-foot hook shot (Stephanie Talbot assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:54
A'ja Wilson makes 8-foot pullup jump shot (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:54
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 1st Quarter · 6:38
Kayla Thornton makes 24-foot three point jumper (Kiah Stokes assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:28
A'ja Wilson makes 13-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:12
Kiah Stokes makes 3-foot layup (Veronica Burton assists)
- 1st Quarter · 4:58
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 4:58
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 4:10
Kaila Charles makes 23-foot three point jumper (Tiffany Hayes assists)
- 1st Quarter · 3:45
Chelsea Gray makes 3-foot two point shot
- 1st Quarter · 3:09
Jewell Loyd makes 25-foot three point jumper (A'ja Wilson assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:23
Gabby Williams makes driving layup
- 1st Quarter · 2:07
Dana Evans makes 5-foot pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 2:07
Dana Evans makes free throw 1 of 1
- 1st Quarter · 1:56
Gabby Williams makes driving layup
- 1st Quarter · 1:19
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 1:19
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 1:02
Kaitlyn Chen makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 1:02
Kaitlyn Chen makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 10.9
Kaitlyn Chen makes 11-foot running pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 9:46
Cecilia Zandalasini makes driving layup (Kaitlyn Chen assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 9:22
Chelsea Gray makes 26-foot three pointer
- 2nd Quarter · 8:43
Veronica Burton makes running layup
- 2nd Quarter · 8:25
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 1 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 8:25
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 2 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 8:25
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 3 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 7:42
Chelsea Gray makes 12-foot step back jumpshot
- 2nd Quarter · 7:25
Cecilia Zandalasini makes 23-foot three point jumper (Gabby Williams assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:10
A'ja Wilson makes 26-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:48
Janelle Salaun makes 22-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:19
Chelsea Gray makes 12-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 6:07
Kiah Stokes makes 4-foot layup (Veronica Burton assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 5:39
Kalani Brown makes layup (Stephanie Talbot assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 5:08
Kaila Charles makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:08
Kaila Charles makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 4:51
Kalani Brown makes layup (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 2:38
Kaila Charles makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 2:29
Dana Evans makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jewell Loyd assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 2:00
Kayla Thornton makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 1:49
Jackie Young makes 12-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 1:49
Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 1
- 2nd Quarter · 1:00
Kayla Thornton makes 5-foot layup (Kiah Stokes assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 19.1
Chelsea Gray makes 27-foot three pointer
- 3rd Quarter · 9:10
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 9:10
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 7:56
Kiah Stokes makes 3-foot layup (Tiffany Hayes assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:26
Kayla Thornton makes 24-foot running jump shot (Tiffany Hayes assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:43
Tiffany Hayes makes 28-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 4:15
Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 3:25
Kaitlyn Chen makes 4-foot two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 3:07
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 3:07
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 2:24
Kiah Stokes makes 23-foot three point jumper (Kaitlyn Chen assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:07
Jackie Young makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 1:35
Jackie Young makes 22-foot running jump shot (Dana Evans assists)
- 4th Quarter · 9:37
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 8:12
Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 8:12
Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 7:52
Jackie Young makes 25-foot three pointer
- 4th Quarter · 7:30
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 6:50
A'ja Wilson makes two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 6:28
Gabby Williams makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Tiffany Hayes assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:17
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 5:41
Kalani Brown makes layup (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 4th Quarter · 5:31
Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 1 of 3
- 4th Quarter · 5:31
Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 3 of 3
- 4th Quarter · 5:10
Jackie Young makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 5:10
Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 1
- 4th Quarter · 4:58
Gabby Williams makes 10-foot pullup jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 4:22
Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:22
Jackie Young makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:01
Veronica Burton makes 3-foot two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 3:08
A'ja Wilson makes layup (Dana Evans assists)
- 4th Quarter · 2:51
Veronica Burton makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:51
Veronica Burton makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:17
Kiah Stokes makes 4-foot layup (Gabby Williams assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:50
Kayla Thornton makes running layup (Gabby Williams assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:12
Veronica Burton makes 9-foot two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 26.6
Jackie Young makes layup (Chelsea Gray assists)
- OT · 4:26
Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup
- OT · 2:44
Gabby Williams makes driving layup
- OT · 2:24
Chelsea Gray makes driving layup
- OT · 2:03
Tiffany Hayes makes 5-foot two point shot
- OT · 1:28
Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 2
- OT · 1:28
Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2
- OT · 54.7
Gabby Williams makes 18-foot step back jumpshot (Kiah Stokes assists)
- OT · 46.9
Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 2
- OT · 46.9
Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2
- OT · 42.7
Dana Evans makes 14-foot floating jump shot
- OT · 34.6
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 1 of 2
- OT · 34.6
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 2 of 2
- OT · 31.7
A'ja Wilson makes driving layup (Chelsea Gray assists)
- OT · 23.2
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 1 of 2
- OT · 23.2
Kayla Thornton makes free throw 2 of 2
Golden State Valkyries — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayla Thornton | 33 | 18 | 5-12 | 2-6 | 6-7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 3 | +16 |
| Gabby Williams | 29 | 16 | 6-16 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | 26 | 7 | 2-9 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +2 |
| Kiah Stokes | 38 | 11 | 5-5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | +18 |
| Veronica Burton | 37 | 8 | 3-9 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +6 |
| Janelle Salaun | 10 | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -5 |
| Aminata Gueye | 7 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -8 |
| Tiffany Hayes | 22 | 11 | 4-14 | 1-5 | 2-2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +20 |
| Kaila Charles | 17 | 7 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -6 |
| Kaitlyn Chen | 8 | 6 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +4 |
Las Vegas Aces — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Talbot | 21 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -2 |
| A'ja Wilson | 43 | 21 | 6-19 | 1-4 | 8-11 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | -7 |
| Kalani Brown | 17 | 8 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | -6 |
| Chelsea Gray | 43 | 17 | 6-12 | 2-3 | 3-3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | -11 |
| Jackie Young | 42 | 18 | 6-16 | 2-6 | 4-4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -10 |
| Cheyenne Parker-Tyus | 5 | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +3 |
| Brianna Turner | 5 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Jewell Loyd | 23 | 3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -12 |
| Dana Evans | 27 | 8 | 3-8 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -4 |
Golden State Valkyries — Team statistics
| FG | 30-74 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 41 |
| 3PT | 7-24 |
| Three Point % | 29 |
| FT | 20-22 |
| Free Throw % | 91 |
| Rebounds | 43 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 33 |
| Assists | 16 |
| Steals | 12 |
| Blocks | 4 |
| Turnovers | 10 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 11 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 7 |
| Fast Break Points | 11 |
| Points in Paint | 40 |
| Fouls | 23 |
| Largest Lead | 10 |
| Lead Changes | 3 |
| Percent Led | 21 |
Las Vegas Aces — Team statistics
| FG | 26-68 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 38 |
| 3PT | 7-20 |
| Three Point % | 35 |
| FT | 18-22 |
| Free Throw % | 82 |
| Rebounds | 35 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 29 |
| Assists | 13 |
| Steals | 3 |
| Blocks | 6 |
| Turnovers | 15 |
| Team Turnovers | 0 |
| Total Turnovers | 15 |
| Technical Fouls | 1 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 17 |
| Fast Break Points | 5 |
| Points in Paint | 32 |
| Fouls | 18 |
| Largest Lead | 11 |
| Lead Changes | 3 |
| Percent Led | 72 |