The Golden State Valkyries swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime on Friday night, reaching the WNBA Finals in just their second season. Kayla Thornton scored 18 points as the visiting second-seeded team secured the sweep, setting up a championship series against the Atlanta Dream starting on October 17.
The expansion franchise has upended the league’s established hierarchy far ahead of any traditional timeline. Last season, Golden State became the first expansion team to make the playoffs, and now, in their second year, they are the quickest to reach the WNBA finals. The 87-77 overtime victory in Las Vegas closed out a semifinal sweep that silenced a monolithic team and its five-time MVP megastar, A’ja Wilson.
Overtime Surge Completes Semifinal Sweep Against the Aces
Friday night’s decisive Game 3 tested the resolve of both rosters. After building a 53-47 lead on a 17-point run, the Valkyries watched Las Vegas battle back to within a single point by the end of the third quarter. The Aces later claimed a six-point advantage late in regulation before Golden State mounted a comeback.
With 1 minute and 50 seconds remaining, Gabby Williams stole the ball from Wilson, feeding Kayla Thornton for a transition layup that knotted the score at 69-69. Veronica Burton then gave the visitors a brief lead with a nine-foot floater, before Chelsea Gray delivered an inbound pass to Jackie Young with 27 seconds left to force overtime. The extra period, however, belonged entirely to the defense-minded road team.
Golden State outscored Las Vegas 16-6 in overtime. Thornton finished with 18 points to lead the effort, while Williams added 16—including eight during the extra session. Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes contributed 11 points apiece, with Stokes also grabbing 10 rebounds.
Inside Natalie Nakase’s Coaching and the Golden State Culture
The matchup carried deep personal ties for the winning sideline. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase previously served as an assistant under Becky Hammon in Las Vegas, where she was hired and introduced into the league.
“I actually tried to walk through the tunnel with my head down because there are so many people I consider family. Obviously, Becky. She hired me. She’s the one who invited me into the W. The years I spent with her, I knew I was going to learn a lot.”
That familiarity paid dividends. Williams, who signed with Golden State for her second year after seeing the team’s style and culture firsthand, pointed directly to that competitive ethos.
“I’ve been very open since I first got to Golden State that I wanted to be on a team that contends. That’s why I’m here. It was Nat’s energy. I could feel it, how much she detested losing.”
The organization’s foundation dates back to October 5, 2023, when an unveiling event at the Chase Center in San Francisco launched the first WNBA expansion franchise in 15 years backed by a $50 million investment from the ownership group behind the Golden State Warriors. Joe Lacob, the co-owner and CEO of the Warriors, declared at the time that the team had ambition and purpose. That ambition has translated directly to the court, supported by the Bay Area’s long-standing basketball mantra of strength in numbers.
Atlanta Dream Await After Historic Semifinal Sweeps Across the League
The 2026 WNBA Finals will feature two teams that completed clean sweeps on Friday night. While Golden State ousted the reigning champions, the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream eliminated the New York Liberty 85-83 earlier in the evening to finish a 3-0 semifinal sweep of their own.
Neither finalist has ever won a WNBA title. The appearance marks Atlanta’s first trip to the finals since 2013, while the Valkyries reach the championship stage in just their second year of existence. The 2026 postseason follows a groundbreaking league year shaped by an extended labor agreement that raised the salary cap from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026, alongside a cascade of broken regular-season records.
The best-of-seven championship series is scheduled to begin on October 17, with the second-seeded Valkyries holding home-court advantage to host the opening games.
