The Valkyries got off to a hot start in their first-ever playoff game, leading the Lynx 28-21 after the first quarter. The offense was flowing and the defense was giving Minnesota some trouble. Golden State looked ready to make this a close game, but things turned around quickly. The Valkyries lost the second and third quarters by 14 points each and only scored 14 points in the fourth, most of which came after Cheryl Reeve emptied her bench.
The team’s offensive struggles caught up with it. Golden State isn’t known for its offensive prowess. Natalie Nakase’s team finished the regular season ranking tenth in points per game, last in field-goal percentage, and eleventh in 3-point percentage. After a hot start, the Valkyries dropped even below their season averages, shooting 33.9% from the field and 29% from three.
The Valkyries’ offensive struggles and inconsistencies are nothing new and won’t disappear in time for Game 2. While Golden State won most of its games at home, its shooting percentages weren’t much different at Chase Center compared to on the road during the regular season. The Valkyries can hope to put together a performance on the opposite end of the efficiency spectrum, though. They have done it before.
The Valkyries were ultimately no match for the Lynx
Minnesota entered the playoffs with the goal of winning a championship. They narrowly lost out on that goal last season and secured the top seed early on in the regular season on their way to a do-over. They are the overwhelming favorites to win this series and showed exactly why. While the Valkyries put up a good fight—as they always do—they lost the rebounding battle, conceded 16 points off turnovers compared to the Lynx’s nine, and gave up 44 points in the paint despite usually having an excellent paint defense.
A huge reason for the 29-point loss was that the Valkyries simply didn’t make shots after their hot start and struggled to contain the Lynx’s offense. The Valkyries only took nine fewer shots than Minnesota, but the Lynx made 15 more shots, shooting 51.5% from the field and 41.7% from three.
The game looked very similar to the Valkyries’ final regular-season meeting with the Lynx, when they shot below 30% from the field. After the game, Natalie Nakase said that her team needed to make more shots to keep up with the Lynx—a need that is more imperative now than ever before. If the Valkyries cannot make shots in Game 2, their playoff journey will be short-lived. That is easier said than done, however.
There were also some bright spots
The Valkyries suffered a bad loss in their playoff debut, but there are still some positive takeaways. For one, rookie Janelle Salaün looked pretty good in her WNBA playoff debut. She played 36 minutes and scored 13 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, grabbed six rebounds, and got one steal. Salaün was one of two players who scored efficiently.
Temi Fagbenle was the other one. Scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting from the field, Fagbenle looked like a real problem for Minnesota’s frontcourt before she got into foul trouble.
Moreover, the Valkyries were right there with the Lynx when they were making shots. They may only need one good shooting game to keep this series interesting.