The Golden State Valkyries overcame another double-digit deficit to become the first expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals within its first two seasons.
LAS VEGAS: The Golden State Valkyries made history on Friday night. Golden State completed their three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces with an 87-77 overtime victory to advance to their first WNBA Finals in franchise history.
The Valkyries will now face off against the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals, which kicks off next Saturday at Chase Center.
“To be here in this moment is a blessing. We’re making history,” guard Veronica Burton said. “This is unimaginable, but for us it’s so realistic. It’s what we expected and what we worked toward. It’s what we believed in the entire year…We had ultimate confidence coming in here.”
Coach Natalie Nakase put it perfectly after the game. “Big dreams. This is a dream come true to be going to the Finals in our second year.”
A season ago, Golden State became the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. They reached the playoffs as an 8 seed and lost in the first round, but the seeds were planted.
Coming into this postseason as a #2 seed with some more veteran experience and the off-season addition of star Gabby Williams, the Valkyries felt that they were ready to take the next step.
But they were underdogs once again.
“It feels special because this is a special group,” Williams said. “We are going to get some bandwagoners because we weren’t getting no love all season. Honestly, no one believed in us, but it honestly made us smile. All we need is each other.”
Forward Kayla Thornton added, “This was a rough road. To beat Vegas 3-0, it’s crazy.”
They did the impossible once again. In the third quarter, the Valkyries were down by as much as 11 points. Golden State responded by going on a 17-0 run and holding the Aces to only 7 points in the third quarter. It was their largest deficit of the series and their first double-digit one.
But the Valkyries have been in these types of situations before and didn’t panic.
The comeback once again started on the defensive end. “I told them to remember our response is to come closer together, come tighter, to huddle up and grab hands, to communicate,” Nakase said.
Las Vegas responded and took back the lead in the fourth quarter; the Valkyries never wavered. The game would head to overtime, tied at 70.
Before the start of overtime, Burton said she told the Valkyries, “Now is our time—this is it, so lay it all out there.”
“We knew we had an extra gear in us,” she said. “That’s the beauty of our team. We play so many people, so we knew we had extra gear.”
In overtime, the Valkyries dominated. Golden State outscored Las Vegas 16-6 in overtime.
Strength in numbers showed up once again; Kayla Thornton finished with 18 points. Gabby Williams had 16, and the star of the night defensively, Kiyah Stokes, had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
“I told them I was proud of our whole team.” Nakase said.
The Valkyries now have a WNBA Finals matchup with the Atlanta Dream. The Dream swept the #8 seed New York Liberty on Friday night to advance to the Finals. Game 1 is at Chase Center on Saturday, October 17. Tip-off is at 12:30 PM PST.
2026 WNBA Finals TV Schedule: Dream vs. Valkyries
Saturday, Oct. 17
- Game 1: Valkyries vs. Dream, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC
Monday, Oct. 19
- Game 2: Valkyries vs. Dream, 3:30 p.m. ET | USA Network
Thursday, Oct. 22
- Game 3: Dream vs. Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET | USA Network
Saturday, Oct. 24
- Game 4: Dream vs. Valkyries, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC
Monday, Oct. 26
- Game 5*: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA Network
Thursday, Oct. 29
- Game 6*: Dream vs. Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET | USA Network
Saturday, Oct. 31
- Game 7*: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA Network
The Valkyries went from a young and upcoming team swept in the first round by the top seed a season ago to sweeping the defending champions on the road. Now, they are four wins away from a WNBA title.
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