The Golden State Valkyries took down the Indiana Fever 88-77 Thursday night, at home in front of a completely sold out and entirely thrilled Ballhalla. The team's win sent a message to the entire WNBA: underestimate Golden State at your own peril — because they just might see you in the playoffs.
Golden State's win was fueled by a team-high 16 points from Kayla Thornton and another 12 from Chloe Bibby in her debut for the team. And though the Valkyries were helped by an uncharacteristically bad performance from Caitlin Clark, who shot 3-for-14 from the field, missed all 7 of her 3-point attempts, and only contributed 11 points to the night, a season low for her.
Golden State in the playoffs? It's possible
Few people would have predicted Golden State would make the playoffs this season just a few short weeks ago (for the record, we predicted it back in December), but with this win more than most, the Valkyries have surprised a lot of detractors and put the entire WNBA on notice, and now even the most skeptical WNBA fan will need to rethink their season predictions.
The success of the Valkyries comes down to the fact that they are just genuinely a well-rounded team being led by a coach who is proving to be a true student of the game of basketball. They're offensively efficient — they rank second in the league in 3-point attempts and are shooting 45% fro beyond the arc — and they're fourth in attempted free throws.
They're also strong defensive rebounders, typically out rebounding their opponents and shutting down possessions prematurely. And perhaps most crucially, it's clear Nakase has tapped into the team's collective mental energy — the win over the Fever came as the Valkyries are missing several key players due to EuroBasket (Julie Vanloo, Janelle Salaun, Iliana Rupert, and Temi Fagbenle are all overseas at the moment).
The Fever aren't the only tough team the Valkyries have played
The Valkyries have taken losses to the Liberty and the Lynx, games that ultimately provided fuel and lessons to grow and learn from, and have scored big wings against the Aces and the Storm, teams who are nearly synonymous with the playoffs. The team is currently ranked number 7 overall — and the top 8 teams in the WNBA make the playoffs each season.
Of all the team's wins, tonight's against the Fever has the most potentially to officially end the expansion team narrative — and as Golden State has demonstrated, it's about time.