The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Golden State Rallies to Become First Expansion Team in Playoffs; Las Vegas Gets Revenge on Minnesota; Phoenix Tops Washington for Sixth Straight

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Oh, what a Thursday night in the WNBA’s triple bill.

Down 13 in the third quarter to already-eliminated Dallas to the dismay of a record ongoing sellout crowd of 18,064 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Golden State fulfilled their expectations for a history evening of celebration, roaring back for an 84-80 victory that made the Valkyries the first expansion team in the 29-year history of the WNBA to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.

A little further inland to the East, Las Vegas faced the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, who had trashed the Aces 111-55 on their last visit early last month and won 97-87.

Over in the East, already-eliminated 10th place Washington wanted to be a spoiler but ultimately Phoenix came back for its sixth straight victory 75-69.

Indiana, which is losing players at a faster rate than racking up wins, announced Chloe Bibby is out for the season but the bigger news was reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark cannot recover fast enough from the groin pull injury incurred in mid-July and so, she, too, will stay sidelined, where she’s been since July 15th, the rest of the way.

Off two earlier injuries, she has only appeared in 13 games after an injury-free career at Iowa and her rookie pro season last summer.

It’s down to three teams fighting for the last two playoff spots and its now less than a week before the record 44-game regular season reaches its conclusion next Thursday when the playoff pairings will be set with all four opening games in the First Round to begin three days later on Sunday, July 14, airing on ABC and ESPN.

Defending champion New York, which had the night off, went into red alert as a result of Thursday’s action becoming unable to overcome Atlanta and Phoenix for home-court advantage with series losses to both teams while the next Las Vegas win or Liberty loss will will put the champs on the wrong side of home advantage in the best-of-three first round, which has been revised to a 1-1-1 format.

While some unknowns became knowns Thursday, there are still many unknowns this late date on what the eight-team playoff setting focus will be.

The Standings Picture

Other than the odds slightly increasing as to whether Minnesota can emerge taking that last step beyond last October’s second place finish, the Lynx (31-9) already clinched the best record that gives them home advantage by advancing in the best-of-five semifinals and record best-of-seven finals that has two more games if they go the distance.

For the second time this week, though trailing Minnesota by one less game at five, there is a three-way tie for second among Las Vegas (27-14), Atlanta (27-14), and Phoenix (27-14), which all sit three games up on New York (24-17), which suddenly is up just one on Golden State (23-18).

That brings us to the three-for-two chase for the two last postseason tickets which has a two-game spread from seventh-place Seattle (22-20) through eighth-place Indiana (21-20) a half-game below the Mercury and then outside the cut off where Los Angeles (19-21) is 1.5 behind the Fever.

In the draft-lottery bound group, in order, going into Friday night, are Washington (16-26), Chicago (10-30), Connecticut (10-31), and Dallas (9-33).

Los Angeles may be close to making the field by stats, but the Sparks for the second time in three nights on Friday (7:30 p.m., ION) will still be at Atlanta, which will be looking to complete a 2-0 sweep in the fight for second, which carries the other home advantage in the  best-of-five semifinals.

The Dream finish with two home-and-home games next Monday and Wednesday playing Connecticut, the first of which is in Georgia.

The Sparks host Dallas Sunday (6 p.m., NBA TV), then Phoenix visits on Tuesday, and Las Vegas on Thursday.

Las Vegas before then, hosts Chicago Sunday (9 p.m., NBA TV), and Tuesday.

Phoenix is at Connecticut Saturday at 1 p.m., hosts Los Angeles Tuesday, and then visits Dallas Thursday.

New York, which placed in a 4-5 series means advancing would likely draw Minnesota in the semifinals, is at Seattle, Friday (10 p.m., ION) finishes hosting Washington Tuesday and then visits Dallas Thursday.

Golden State on Saturday hosts Minnesota (8:30 p.m.) then finishes visiting Seattle, Tuesday, and Minnesota Thursday.

Seattle after New York on Friday hosts Golden State Tuesday.

Indiana hosts Chicago Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ION, a game that way back loomed as another Clark-Angel Reese showdown, but Clark is done, while Reese is under a one-game suspension, automatically triggered by her eighth technical foul of the season.

The Fever then visit Washington Sunday (3 p.m., NBA TV) and hosts Minnesota Tuesday.

Golden State Makes Playoffs and Adds to Achievements

The Valkyries had already made expansion team achievements selling out every home at the Chase Center that’s shared with the NBA Warriors, setting a record for wins, and now guaranteed a winning record.

They’ve also won a season-best five straight.

But the ultimate goal by Natalie Nakase was to make the playoffs, which for a long time Thursday night looked to be on delay as Golden State was looking more like what most expansion squads are anticipated to appear.

Then, the Valkyries looked like the team the sellouts had seen most of the season.

Golden State went ahead for good down the stretch in the fourth on a pair of 3-pointers from Janelle Salun followed by Carla Leite’s basket off the bench with 2:26 left, though the home team the rest of the way had keep answering the thorn from overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, the frontrunner to succeed Clarke as this season’s top rookie, who scored 27.

  The Valkyries scored 52 in the second half and when it was over the place was similar to a home team clinching the whole works for the season with purple streamers pouring from the Chase Center ceiling and the players wearing T-shirts that proclaimed, “Playoffs 2025.”

With the under-seed guaranteed to get a home arena in Game 2 of the first round, whoever the Valkyries end up playing, it will be at San Jose due to the Chase Center committed to another event long before the WNBA team was in place.

Salun was 6-10 from the field, including 3-4 on makes from deep for 19 points, while Leite and starter Veronica Burton, who got a big basket and key rebound to keep the Valkyries in front, each scored 15, reserves Monique Billings collected 11 points and Kate Martin scored nine, and Iliana Rupert scored 10 points.

Dallas, one of several teams missing a slew of players with injuries, saw Bueckers’ night consist of shooting 11-20 from the field for her 27, while dealing six points and grabbing four rebounds.

Third-year pro Maddy Siegrist, the overall No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft out of Villanova, had another big night for the Wings with 16 points, helped by making three shots from distance, while former Stanford star Haley Jones scored 18, and Myisha Hines-Allen scored 12 with 11 boards.

“The coach yelled at us,” Salun said of the turning point in the game for Golden State. “We woke up and started playing basketball.”

“We were supposed to do this,” Nakase said. “That’s me, my mental, must win. I told our girls, we picked you guys (in the expansion draft) for a reason. We’re the first. I chose you all to do first things.

“The leadership. The support. I mean like (ownership) pushes me to not just settle. To not be mediocre. So, I credit that. And then the players were chosen to do a lot of firsts.

“Carla came alive,” Nakase said of the turnaround. “Our players are well conditioned, and they take pride in that. I think it was great that our bench came to life. I was sitting there trying to find a rotation that I liked. Everyone stepped up.

“Maybe when the season is over I’ll reflect. But we’re not done yet. I’m already thinking about Minnesota (on Saturday). When you lose focus, I have to stay present. I have to think to stay where my feet are. I’m a party pooper. I’ll try to be better.”

Las Vegas Gets Revenge on Minnesota

When the Aces and Lynx met last time, Las Vegas was straddling in and out of the playoff cut off line, allowing Minnesota to romp, though in the same game, Napheesa Collier, at the time a huge frontrunner for MVP, hurt her ankle late in the game and was out three weeks.

“She’s missed ten games this season, which would be the most for an MVP awardee.

The Lynx held their own during Collier’s absence but as ‘Vegas has surged, much of it has come from reigning MVP, A’ja Wilson, who scored 31 points and eight boards in this one, as the home team is now the seventh team in WNBA history to have a 13-game win streak.

It’s the 12th time this season Wilson has had a 30+ game tying a WNBA record as the Aces ended a six-game losing streak to Minnesota, dating to May 29, 2024, to the delight of the crowd of 14,656 at the T-Mobile Arena.

Jackie Young added 20 points, while Chelsea Gray scored 13 with 10 rebounds, and Nalyssa Smith scored 10.

Minnesota reserve Natisha Hiedeman scored 22 with six rebounds and five assists. Courtney Williams scored 14, Alanna Smith scored 13, Collier had 12 with six boards, and Kayla McBride scored 10. DiJonai Carrington, who hurt her shoulder in the Lynx’s previous game, did not play.

“It’s difficult to waste a solid effort, offensively, shooting 50 percent, almost 41 percent from three,” said Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, the former La Salle star from South Jersey. “Our defense didn’t rise to the occasion today.

“Credit to the Aces. It’s really hard to beat a team four times, especially a team like the Aces, but I don’t think we helped ourselves with our effort on the defensive end. We were pretty pedestrian.”

Las Vegas had been uncharacteristically struggling at the start of the season after winning consecutive league crowns in 2022 and 2023 while losing to revenge-seeking New York last season in the semifinals.

“This team has been able to win a lot, defensively,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said. “In ’22. I think we were sixth in defensive rating.

“This team is able to get stops, so I think that’s different. It’s hard to compare them because I love those teams, but also every team has taken on its own identity, so I kinda don’t want to compare them, I want them to be their own team, the 2025 team.”

Copper Leads Minnesota to Sixth Straight and Foil Mystics’ Spoiler Bid

Rutgers grad Kahleah Copper out of North Philadelphia had 18 points while Alyssa Thomas, had another near triple double night with 12 points, 11th boards and nine assists in the victory before a Mystics crowd of 4,200 at CareFirst Arena.

The Mercury moved back into the three-way second place tie that will either become in one direction again Friday if Atlanta, the only team of the three with a games, wins, the Dream go a half-game in front, or it becomes a two-way tie if the Dream lose and drop back to fourth.

Sami Whitcomb scored 12 for the Mercury, fueled by four makes from distance, while Satou Sabally collected 10 points with six boards and four assists.

Washington lost its eighth straight after being in the playoff hunt with the league’s youngest roster.

Rookie Kiki Iriafen, the fourth overall pick in the draft last April, set a Washington record with her 16th double double of the season with 13 rebounds. Shakira Austin added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Levittown’s (N.J.) Crystal Langhorne, a former Maryland star now retired, had the previous record with 15 in 2010.

The Mystics threatened to spoil Phoenix’s highest-as-it-is-able to finish pulling within a basket at 71-69 off a late 7-0 run as Shakira Austin, who had 15 points and 10 boards, scored on a three-point play, Sug Sutton scored from beyond the arc, and Iriafen made a layup with 1:06 to play.

But the Mercury answered with a shot from distance by Sabally and DeWanna connected with a free throw to secure a home-court advantage in the first round.

“I’ve been super proud of our team of the composure in games,” said Mercury first-year coach Nate Tibbitts. “We’ve been in a couple of tough games here down the stretch.

“This is our first year together. We need these kinds of games. I think it builds confidence when you’re in these types of games. It tells you the confidence we have in each other.”