The Golden State Valkyries didn’t just survive without Gabby Williams. They looked like they didn’t miss her at all.
Down their All-Star forward, who sat out with a back contusion, the Valkyries rolled into Connecticut and beat the Sun 79-64 on Tuesday night. That makes seven in a row for a team that keeps finding ways to win without its best player on the floor.
Veronica Burton dropped a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding six assists and two blocks. After the game, she made it clear this was by design, not luck.
“We’re the deepest team, so it’s a next man up mentality,” Burton said. “There’s not necessarily any drop-off. We find different ways to win, and we just rely on every single person on this team.”
The Valkyries stumbled through a cold first half but flipped a switch after the break, shooting 19-of-33 from the field in the third and fourth quarters. Janelle Salaun backed up Burton with 16 points and seven rebounds. Tiffany Hayes chipped in nine off the bench, and Kaila Charles added nine points and five boards in Williams’ starting spot. Kaitlyn Chen pitched in eight points and two steals.
Even sidelined, Williams stayed in the game from the bench.
“Gabby’s still gonna contribute, and she still helped us,” Burton said. “She was one of the loudest people throughout the entire game, and she’s someone that I think both of us relied on throughout the game to get advice or get input from.”
The numbers behind the streak
This seven-game run isn’t flashy on offense. The Valkyries are averaging just 77.6 points per game during the streak, which ranks last in the league over that stretch. But it doesn’t matter when your defense is this good.
Golden State has held opponents to a league-low 68.4 points per game during the streak. Their 92.5 defensive rating is the best in the WNBA over those seven games. Teams are shooting just 38.7% from the field and 26.5% from three against them, both league-worst marks for opponents. The Valkyries are also forcing 16.4 turnovers a game, second-best in the league since the streak started.
The average margin of victory? Nine points. They’ve been dominant, physical and flexible.
Coach Natalie Nakase isn’t treating this like some feel-good story. For her, seven straight wins is the baseline.
“That was our goal,” Nakase said of going undefeated in a brutal four-games-in-seven-days stretch. “I understand it’s not an easy goal, but I have to also get them to understand like it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be harder as we continue. Hopefully I don’t sound negative, but I also want to be honest with them. I want them to stay humble through our wins, just because I know we can be better.”
The Valkyries hope to get Williams back next week. They host the Indiana Fever on Wednesday.
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