Valkyries Reach WNBA Finals After Sweeping Aces

Overtime in Las Vegas seals the sweep

The Golden State Valkyries are going to the WNBA Finals. The No. 2 seed beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime in Game 3 of the semifinals on Friday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena, completing the sweep and becoming the quickest expansion team in league history to reach the championship round, according to the Associated Press.

Golden State's defense did the heavy lifting. The Valkyries held the Aces to 7 points in the third quarter, tied for the fewest Las Vegas has scored in any postseason quarter, and forced 15 turnovers while finishing with a dozen steals.

Las Vegas entered the night facing elimination after dropping both games in San Francisco. The Aces still led by six late in regulation before Williams stole the ball from A'ja Wilson and Thornton finished a transition layup that tied the score at 69 with 1:50 remaining. Veronica Burton's floater with 1:12 left put Golden State ahead, and the Aces answered with 27 seconds to go on an inbound pass from Chelsea Gray to Jackie Young. The extra period belonged to the visitors, who outscored Las Vegas to close out the sweep.

Thornton led the Valkyries with 18 points and nine rebounds. Williams added 16, including eight in overtime. Kiah Stokes posted 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tiffany Hayes reached double figures off the bench and crossed 500 career postseason points. The sweep is the latest milestone for coach Natalie Nakase's squad, which leaned on its depth throughout the series.

Wilson honored before tip, then eliminated

Wilson was honored before tip for winning an unprecedented fifth MVP, then scored 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting. The performance took her to 1,300 career postseason points and 600 rebounds, a combination only DeWanna Bonner had reached in WNBA playoff history.

Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray combined for 35 points in the loss. No Becky Hammon-coached Aces team had ever been swept in the playoffs; the franchise last endured that in the 2020 Finals against Seattle. Wilson said afterward she would keep upholding the championship standard the franchise created, called the season a bust by the team's own measure, and said she would not lose sight of what the group had done for the league.

Golden State took the series opener 71-60 at Chase Center on Oct. 4, out-rebounding Las Vegas 52-25, and escaped with an 83-81 win, when Veronica Burton's tie-breaking three-pointer with 41 seconds left sealed it, ESPN reported. Teams that take a two-game lead in a series are 22-0 in WNBA playoff history, according to the Associated Press.

Atlanta awaits after its own sweep

Earlier Friday night, the No. 4 Atlanta Dream finished off their own sweep, beating the eighth-seeded New York Liberty to close out the series. The Dream are back in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. The franchise has yet to win a title. New York had reached the semifinals by upsetting top-seeded Minnesota in the opening round.

Atlanta reached the semifinals by bouncing the No. 5 Washington Mystics in the opening round, according to NBC Sports. Atlanta is anchored by 2026 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, who carried the team all season. Reese, whom the WNBA announced as the winner on Oct. 1. Reese received 46 of 74 votes after averaging 16.4 points, a league-high 12.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals, setting single-season league records with 521 rebounds and 32 double-doubles. The Dream acquired her from the Chicago Sky in an April trade. No Dream player had won the award before. Golden State's Gabby Williams was the runner-up in the voting with 20 votes. Head coach Karl Smesko said of Reese, "She's not afraid of any challenge." Atlanta posted a 103.5 defensive rating and allowed a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game, according to the league.

Game 1 of the Finals is set for Oct. 17 at Chase Center in San Francisco, tipping off at 12:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. The best-of-seven series gives home-court advantage to Golden State, which needs four wins for the championship. The matchup caps the league's thirtieth season. Williams said the achievement felt special because the group was special, and the players had believed in themselves all season even when nobody else did.