Valkyries vs. Wings Game 2 preview: Golden State goes for sweep

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Paige Bueckers Dallas Wings

The Golden State Valkyries can close out their first WNBA playoff series with a win Wednesday, when they visit the Dallas Wings for Game 2 of their best-of-three first-round matchup. Golden State took Game 1 in blowout fashion, 104-80, and has now beaten Dallas in all four meetings this season.

The second-seeded Valkyries need one more win to advance. The seventh-seeded Wings, who closed the regular season by winning seven of eight games to earn their playoff seed, must win to stay alive and force a decisive Game 3 back at Chase Center on Friday.

Valkyries vs. Wings game information

  • Date: Wednesday, Sept. 30
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET
  • Location: Dallas
  • TV: ESPN
  • Series: Golden State leads best-of-three, 1-0

Valkyries outlook: Zandalasini and depth carried Game 1

Golden State outscored Dallas 37-11 in the second quarter of Game 1, turning a tight game into a rout by halftime en route to a 58-31 lead at the break. The Valkyries finished 18 for 36 from 3-point range, including 10 for 20 in the first half alone.

Cecilia Zandalasini led the way with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 4 for 5 from deep, plus an assist in just 15 minutes. Gabby Williams added 20 points, and Tiffany Hayes scored 21 off the bench. Veronica Burton chipped in 10 points, and Kayla Thornton had 10 points, including a 3-pointer at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter that put Golden State ahead 32-24 and forced a Dallas timeout.

The 104 points marked the most the Valkyries have scored in a game in franchise history. Golden State won seven of eight games to close the regular season. Coach Natalie Nakase credited her team’s defense for setting up the offensive explosion. “When we’re awake we’re ferocious on defense,” Nakase said.

Golden State reached the playoffs in its inaugural 2025 season, becoming the first expansion franchise in league history to do so, before losing to the Minnesota Lynx by one point. Sunday’s win over Dallas was the Valkyries’ first true home playoff game, played in front of the sellout “Ballhalla” crowd at Chase Center. “Ballhalla’s part of us,” Nakase said.

Wings outlook: Bueckers efficient but little help arrived

Paige Bueckers kept Dallas competitive early in Game 1, making 7 of 8 first-half shots and scoring 17 of her game-high 21 points before halftime. She finished 9 for 10 from the field with six rebounds and two assists, but the Wings shot just 6 for 20 from 3-point range as a team and had little other scoring punch.

Dallas was also shorthanded for Game 1. Forward Alanna Smith was ruled out with a lower leg injury, and forward Alysha Clark was out with a face injury, according to ESPN’s injury report. Neither player’s Game 2 status has been announced.

That late-season surge is nowhere on display yet against Golden State, which has now beaten Dallas in all four meetings this season.

Key matchup: Bueckers’ scoring load vs. Golden State’s defense

Bueckers was nearly unstoppable in stretches of Game 1, but Dallas needs more than one efficient scorer to slow a Golden State team that made 18 of 36 3-pointers in the opener. The Wings shot just 6 for 20 from deep by comparison, a gap that helped turn a close game into a 24-point loss.

With Smith sidelined, Dallas has less frontcourt depth to lean on, putting more pressure on Bueckers to create for herself and others against a Golden State defense that held the Wings to 11 points in the second quarter of Game 1. If Dallas can’t find a second scoring option to complement Bueckers, Golden State’s balanced scoring should be enough to close out the series.

Players to watch

Cecilia Zandalasini, Valkyries forward

Zandalasini set the tone in Game 1 with 22 points on 11 shots in only 15 minutes, shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Her efficiency off the bench gives Golden State scoring punch without taxing its starters’ minutes.

Paige Bueckers, Wings guard

Bueckers carried Dallas’ offense in the opener with 21 points and six rebounds, making 9 of 10 shots. Dallas will need her to sustain that pace for the full game if it hopes to force a Game 3.

Tiffany Hayes, Valkyries guard

Hayes scored 21 points off the bench in Game 1, giving Golden State a second-unit scoring threat that Dallas struggled to match. Her production allowed Nakase to stagger her stars’ minutes throughout the rout.

What to watch in Valkyries vs. Wings

The biggest question is whether Dallas can find answers defensively for Golden State’s 3-point shooting. The Valkyries hit 18 3-pointers in Game 1 alone, and if that continues, the Wings’ season could end Wednesday night.

Watch how Dallas handles its rotation if Smith and Clark remain out. Losing frontcourt depth against a Golden State team with balanced scoring in Game 1 makes it harder for the Wings to control the boards or slow transition opportunities.

If Golden State wins, the Valkyries advance to the next round of the playoffs. If Dallas wins, the series returns to Chase Center for a decisive Game 3 on Friday.

Reporting from FOX Sports, CBS Sports, The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this story.