Who Gets Run Over
Gabby Williams scored 25 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings 91-80 on Wednesday night in San Francisco, extending their fourth straight victory while Dallas was left to absorb another night of uneven play and a second-quarter collapse. Kaitlyn Chen came off the bench to score 15 points against former UConn teammates Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, while Veronica Burton added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Golden State.
The Valkyries’ bench did a lot of the work. Janelle Salaun contributed 12 points and Tiffany Hayes 10 in a 43-point bench performance for Golden State, which had also gotten 30 points from the reserves in a 78-58 victory over Los Angeles on Monday night. Kayla Thornton had 11 rebounds as the Valkyries kept stacking wins with production spread across the roster rather than concentrated in a single star.
The Collapse in the Middle
Dallas started fast, going 11 for 17 in the opening quarter and building a quick 26-17 lead before the wheels came off in the second. The Wings went 2 of 15, including 1 for 6 on 3-pointers, in the second quarter and fell behind 44-33 at halftime. That swing turned a promising start into another reminder of how quickly momentum can be stripped away when the offense dries up.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 21 points for Dallas, and Jessica Shepard made all five of her first-quarter shots on the way to 14 points and 10 rebounds. But Paige Bueckers and first-year guard Azzi Fudd had tough shooting nights. Bueckers went 5 of 13 for 15 points with eight assists, and Fudd was 4 of 13 with 10 points.
The Bodies at the Bottom
Veronica Burton and Bueckers collided and went down hard while going for a loose ball with 58.1 seconds left, though both were able to stand. It was the kind of late-game collision that says plenty about the grind of the game: the players doing the chasing, diving, and absorbing the impact while the scoreboard keeps moving.
Dallas had come in fresh off a 96-66 rout of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Monday, a result that showed how quickly fortunes can swing in a league built on constant pressure and short recovery windows. Fudd made her first visit as a pro to Chase Center, where good friend Stephen Curry stars. Fudd joined his brand in November 2021, and the two-time NBA MVP offered his resources during her rehab from right knee surgery last year.
The Machinery Around the Game
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said before the game that Chen, who made 7 of her 10 shots, had offered some insight on her former UConn teammates for the game plan. That detail sat alongside the more familiar machinery of pro sports: scouting, branding, rehab resources, and the constant sorting of players into opponents, assets, and storylines.
The Wings host Chicago on Saturday, and the Valkyries host Minnesota on Friday night. For now, Golden State keeps winning, Dallas keeps searching for consistency, and the people on the floor keep paying the physical price for the whole arrangement.