Golden State’s Fourth-Quarter Meltdown Almost Cost Them — But One Player Refuses to Let It

When the Golden State Valkyries strolled into the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead against the Seattle Storm, the game looked done. Finished. Another tidy win on the schedule.

Then they went 1-of-16 from the field.

And somehow, thanks to a blend of clutch defense and Janelle Salaün’s unrelenting shot-making, they escaped with a 76-72 victory. But for anyone watching closely, the Valkyries’ biggest flaw was impossible to miss — and it’s an issue that goes beyond one bad quarter.

What Salaün’s Heroics Really Reveal

Salaün is a shot-maker’s shot-maker. Coming off the bench early in the second quarter with Golden State down 11 and their offense stuck in neutral, she hoisted — and drilled — one contested jumper after another. By the final buzzer, she’d piled up 22 points on 6-of-16 shooting, a stat line that doesn’t tell the story of how many of those looks were high-difficulty, hand-in-your-face grenades.

That’s the double-edged sword. Salaün can bail out a stagnant set. She can turn a broken possession into points. But when the rest of the roster — outside of Gabby Williams, who poured in 19 — can’t consistently manufacture quality looks, the offense becomes a tightrope act.

Possessions die in isolation. The shot clock winds down. Players stand and watch as two teammates run a pick-and-roll that the defense is already loading up against.

It worked this time. It won’t forever.

Coach Nakase Isn’t Buying the Panic

After the game, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was asked if the fourth-quarter drought worried her. Her answer was quick and firm.

“I was fine with it,” Nakase said. “I think the way we closed, we were getting layups. We accidentally just smoked them, you know? And that’s okay.”

When pressed further about the pattern of dry spells, she doubled down.

“No. At the end of the day, the score was 76-72. So when we walk away with the dub, there’s so many things that we can take from this and learn from this.”

Nakase is right about one thing: the Valkyries found a way. Tiffany Hayes drilled critical free throws down the stretch. Kiah Stokes swatted a potentially game-tying three from Natisha Hiedeman. The defense held.

But leaning on defense and one hot shooter is a risky formula, especially when the league’s second-worst shot quality metric is baked into your DNA.

The Real Problem Is Self-Inflicted

The Valkyries don’t need to be a high-octane offense. They have elite defenders, composure in tight moments, and a knack for winning ugly. But the way they make winning ugly is making everything harder than it has to be.

Off-ball movement is inconsistent. Half-court sets too often devolve into end-of-shot-clock isolations. And while Salaün, Williams, and sometimes Veronica Burton can rescue a possession with sheer talent, the rest of the roster isn’t built to hit contested shot after contested shot.

That’s fine — not everyone needs to be a deadeye. But at some point, the offense has to evolve. The hand in their face isn’t coming from Seattle. It’s coming from a system that forces them into impossible positions.

So yes, watching Salaün rise over a defender and thread the needle is spectacular. The Valkyries’ ability to survive these self-created wars of attrition is a testament to their grit. But grit is not a strategy. And unless something changes, the next 1-of-16 quarter might not have a happy ending.