Aces vs. Valkyries: The defending champion Las Vegas Aces open the WNBA semifinals on the road Sunday against the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries. Game 1 of the best-of-five series tips off at Chase Center, where Golden State’s “Ballhalla” crowd has turned into one of the league’s toughest home environments.
Las Vegas enters at 31-13 and has won seven straight, closing out the Indiana Fever in a three-game first-round series behind A’ja Wilson’s 36-point outburst in the clincher. Golden State finished 32-12 and needed every bit of a deciding Game 3 to eliminate the Dallas Wings, erasing a 16-point deficit to win 77-73 on Friday, according to the Associated Press. The Aces have won all three regular-season meetings between the clubs, though that history carries no weight now that the series starts fresh.
Aces vs Valkyries game information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 4
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
- TV: NBC
- Series: Semifinals, Game 1 of a best-of-five
By the numbers
- Points per game: Aces 95.0, Valkyries 93.7
- Field goal percentage: Aces 49.2%, Valkyries 43.3%
- Two-point field goal percentage: Aces 55.0%, Valkyries 43.9%
- Three-point percentage: Aces 38.8%, Valkyries 42.4%
- Assists per game: Aces 18.7, Valkyries 20.0
- Turnovers per game: Aces 12.3, Valkyries 6.7
- Offensive rebounds per game: Valkyries 8.7, Aces 4.7
- Defensive rebounds per game: Aces 27.0, Valkyries 25.3
- Steals per game: Aces 7.0, Valkyries 6.0
- Blocks per game: Aces 4.7, Valkyries 3.0
Las Vegas Aces outlook
Las Vegas has won seven straight games and is averaging 95.0 points on 49.2% shooting through its most recent stretch, numbers that reflect a team peaking at the right time. A’ja Wilson leads the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game to go with 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks, and she is coming off a 36-point performance that closed out Indiana. Jackie Young paces the team with 6.8 assists per game, giving Las Vegas a secondary playmaker alongside Wilson’s interior dominance. Wilson’s dominant Game 3 proved decisive in the first round.
The Aces’ 12.3 turnovers per game stand out as a concern against a Golden State defense that forces mistakes, and Las Vegas will be without three rotation pieces. Forward Stephanie Talbot (leg) and guard Dana Evans (knee) are both listed as out for Oct. 4, while forward NaLyssa Smith remains out with a left leg injury. With those absences, the Aces are expected to lean heavily on Wilson, Young and the rest of their healthy frontcourt rotation to fill the void.
Golden State Valkyries outlook
Golden State is 32-12 and earned the No. 2 seed in its second season as a franchise, finishing just one game behind conference-leading Minnesota in the standings. The Valkyries lead the head-to-head numbers in assists (20.0 per game) and offensive rebounds (8.7 per game), and they protect the ball well with only 6.7 turnovers per game. Gabby Williams tops the roster in scoring at 14.4 points per game and delivered 19 points, including the go-ahead shot with 1:17 left, in Friday’s series-clinching win over Dallas.
Veronica Burton’s 5.7 assists per game lead Golden State and she posted a double-double in the clincher with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Center Iliana Rupert is out for a reason unrelated to injury, thinning Golden State’s frontcourt depth against a Las Vegas team that shoots 55.0% on two-point attempts. Kiah Stokes, the team’s leading rebounder at 5.8 per game, is expected to carry a larger interior workload with Rupert sidelined.
Key matchup
A’ja Wilson’s interior scoring against Golden State’s undersized frontcourt is the matchup that will shape this series. Las Vegas shoots 55.0% on two-point attempts as a team, and with Rupert out, Golden State is left relying on Stokes, who averages 5.8 rebounds, to slow Wilson without foul trouble. On the other end, the Valkyries’ ball movement, their 20.0 assists per game lead the matchup, will test an Aces defense that has thrived on turnovers (7.0 steals per game) but has also given the ball away 12.3 times per contest. Whichever team wins the turnover battle likely controls tempo at Chase Center.
Players to watch
A’ja Wilson, F/C, Las Vegas Aces
Wilson leads the WNBA in scoring at 26.2 points per game and also tops the Aces in rebounding (9.4) and blocks (1.9). She scored 36 points in the series-clinching win over Indiana and said after that game, “I know that everyone’s going to try to be their best against me,” per the Associated Press.
Gabby Williams, F, Golden State Valkyries
Williams scored 19 of her team’s points in Friday’s comeback win and hit the decisive 17-foot jumper with 1:17 remaining. She said of her path to the league, “I came here just because I just wanted someone to believe in me, that’s really it,” according to the Associated Press.
Veronica Burton, G, Golden State Valkyries
Burton leads Golden State in assists at 5.7 per game and recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Game 3 clincher, giving the Valkyries a steady floor general against an Aces team that forces turnovers.
What to watch
Golden State is chasing the first playoff series win in franchise history after reaching the postseason as an expansion club a year ago, per the Associated Press. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase spent three seasons as an assistant under Becky Hammon in Las Vegas, including both of the Aces’ championship runs in 2022 and 2023, adding a layer of familiarity to this series. Las Vegas is looking to defend its title and extend a seven-game winning streak on the road in a building that Nakase called a factor in her team’s identity all season.
Game 2 of the series follows later in the week at Chase Center before the schedule shifts to Las Vegas.
Reporting from ESPN, CBS Sports, The Associated Press and Yahoo Sports contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
