The Golden State Valkyries can close out the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night and the Valkyries vs. Aces Game 3 matchup carries elimination stakes for the defending champions. Tipoff at Michelob ULTRA Arena is set for 9:30 p.m. ET, with Golden State holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series.
Golden State won Game 2 on the road Wednesday, 83-81, rallying from a 66-55 deficit entering the fourth quarter. A deep 3-pointer from Veronica Burton with 41 seconds left sealed it, and the Valkyries capitalized on a Las Vegas shot-clock violation with just over a minute remaining to close out the win. The result put Golden State, in just its second season as a franchise, one win from its first trip to the WNBA Finals.
Valkyries Vs. Aces Game 3 Information
- Date: Friday, Oct. 9
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, NV
- TV/Streaming: Peacock, NBCSN
- Series: WNBA Semifinals, Game 3, Golden State leads 2-0
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Golden State 87.0, Las Vegas 85.2
- Field goal percentage: Golden State 41.9%, Las Vegas 45.1%
- Three-point percentage: Golden State 38.6%, Las Vegas 38.3%
- Offensive rebounds per game: Golden State 10.6, Las Vegas 4.4
- Defensive rebounds per game: Golden State 26.2, Las Vegas 24.6
- Assists per game: Golden State 17.0, Las Vegas 17.4
- Turnovers per game: Golden State 9.0, Las Vegas 10.8
- Free throw percentage: Golden State 85.0%, Las Vegas 83.8%
Golden State Valkyries Outlook
Golden State enters at 32-12 overall and 15-8 against Western Conference opponents this season. The Valkyries have won both semifinal games at home against the Aces, and they are 3-3 in one-possession contests this postseason, a split that reflects a team comfortable in close finishes like Wednesday’s two-point win.
Gabby Williams leads Golden State at 14.4 points and 1.6 steals per game, while Janelle Salaün has averaged 12.7 points over her last 10 games off the bench. In Game 2, Tiffany Hayes added 21 points, Williams finished with 20 points and five rebounds, Kayla Thornton scored 16 and Kiah Stokes grabbed 14 rebounds. The Valkyries also converted 25 of 27 free-throw attempts in that game, a mark that helped offset a cold shooting start.
Golden State is shooting 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, 1.6 more than the 8.8 per game the Aces allow, a gap that has shown up across the series. Center Iliana Rupert remains out for the season, listed as not injury related.
Las Vegas Aces Outlook
Las Vegas is 31-13 overall and 17-6 against Western Conference teams, and the Aces enter Game 3 facing elimination despite a seven-game winning streak that predates the semifinal round. A’ja Wilson had 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds in Game 2, continuing a postseason in which she averages 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks. Jackie Young has averaged 20.2 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 46.3% over her past 10 games.
Las Vegas leans heavily on scoring in the paint, averaging 39.8 points there with Wilson contributing 12.5 of those points per game. The Aces are also averaging 8.7 made 3-pointers per game, 0.7 more than Golden State typically allows.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon credited her team’s fourth-quarter push after Game 2, saying, “That Burton 3 was massive. We battled back and gave ourselves a shot after a really abysmal first half.” The Aces’ injury list includes Stephanie Talbot and Jewell Loyd, both day-to-day with left leg injuries, and NaLyssa Smith, who is out for the season with a left leg injury.
Key Matchup
Wilson’s interior scoring against Golden State’s defensive rebounding looms as the deciding factor. The Valkyries out-rebound opponents on the defensive glass at 26.2 per game compared to Las Vegas’ 24.6, but Wilson has still found room to operate, posting at least 24 points in Game 2 on efficient shooting. How Golden State’s frontcourt, anchored by Stokes’ 14-rebound effort in Game 2, handles Wilson’s paint touches without fouling will shape whether the Aces can sustain another fourth-quarter rally.
On the other end, Golden State’s 3-point volume against a Las Vegas defense that already allows more makes from deep than the Valkyries’ season average could stretch the Aces thin if Golden State’s shooters get going early, rather than needing a late Burton heroics repeat.
Players To Watch
A’ja Wilson, Aces Forward
Wilson is averaging 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks this season and scored 24 points in Game 2. Las Vegas will need a similarly heavy workload from its star to extend the series.
Veronica Burton, Valkyries Guard
Burton’s go-ahead 3-pointer and clutch free throws decided Game 2. She also leads Golden State in assists this season at 5.7 per game, giving the Valkyries a steady hand in close situations.
Jackie Young, Aces Guard
Young has shot 46.3% over her last 10 games while averaging 20.2 points, and her scoring efficiency could be critical if Las Vegas needs to keep pace in a potential high-possession game.
What To Watch
Golden State can become the first expansion team in league history to reach the WNBA Finals in its inaugural postseason run with a win, a year after becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs at all. Las Vegas, the defending champion, faces a true win-or-go-home scenario in front of its home crowd. The Aces’ seven-game winning streak heading into the semifinals has not carried over to this series, where Golden State has taken both games. A loss Friday would end Las Vegas’ season.
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