Down Six Inside Six Minutes, the Valkyries Won It From Deep

Gabby Williams scored 18 and hit two of the late threes that fueled a 15-4 closing run, Veronica Burton posted an 11-point, 11-assist double-double, and Golden State survived Shakira Austin's 18 and 16 on the glass for its ninth straight. Minnesota won too, so the Valkyries stay a game back of first heading into Monday's rematch, the last game before the All-Star break.

The home opener was a rescue job

The Valkyries came home from the perfect 5-0 road trip and almost gave the first one back. Golden State beat Washington 74-69 on Saturday night at Chase Center for its ninth straight win, but only after trailing by six inside the final six minutes.

Down 65-59, Golden State closed on a 15-4 run built almost entirely from deep. Williams hit two threes in the final six minutes, her first at the 5:55 mark cutting the deficit to 65-62. Kiah Stokes tied it from deep. Kayla Thornton's three with 4:14 left put the Valkyries in front to stay. Veronica Burton's three with 2:14 remaining made it 71-65. Washington never recovered.

The stat lines: Williams 18, three steals, on 7-of-15 shooting. Burton 11 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and a team-best plus-16 in 33 minutes. Thornton 11 on 3-of-6 from deep. Off the bench, Janelle Salaun 9 and Tiffany Hayes 7. It is the 11th straight home win, in front of another Chase Center sellout. The franchise has sold out every home game since its inaugural season, per the Associated Press.

Washington nearly stole it on the glass. Shakira Austin had 18 points and matched her career high with 16 rebounds, and the Mystics, who lead the WNBA in rebounding, outrebounded Golden State 37-26. No Valkyrie grabbed more than five. Sonia Citron returned after a hard third-quarter collision with Cecilia Zandalasini and finished with 12. The Mystics fell to 12-12.

Golden State trailed 18-10 late in the first before a 23-6 run flipped it to a 33-28 halftime lead, then had to flip it again in the fourth.

Film room: the best defense in the league won this one from deep

The Valkyries came in allowing a WNBA-low 76.1 points and 69.2 over their previous five, with a Western Conference-leading defensive rating. They held Washington to 69, a perfectly good defensive number for them. They won because of the math on the other end.

Golden State took 33 of its 59 field-goal attempts from three-point range and made 12 (36.4 percent). Washington went 6-for-23 from deep (26.1 percent). That is a 36-to-18 edge from behind the arc, 18 points built entirely out of the three-point line, and it covered a rebounding deficit that would have buried most teams. The Mystics' 11 offensive rebounds produced extra possessions, but Washington made only six threes all night, and 18 points from beyond the arc is a hard gap to out-rebound.

This is the inversion worth marking. A team that has built a franchise-record streak on paint protection and ball security, fewest points allowed, fewest paint points allowed, fewest turnovers, won its home opener by launching 33 threes and letting four different players bury threes down the stretch. Before tipoff, Natalie Nakase told reporters her team still had to do a better job of being the aggressor, according to the AP. Down six with six to play, they were.

The race: no tie, Minnesota keeps winning

WNBA standings after July 18 — WNBA top of the Western Conference after Saturday, July 18. Minnesota won its fifth straight to stay a full game up on Golden State. Las Vegas is idle until Monday. Source: USA Today / WNBA standings.

The tie scenario did not materialize. Minnesota beat Portland 101-93 for its fifth straight win behind Kayla McBride's 24 points, which moved her into the top 20 on the WNBA career scoring list, per the AP. The Lynx are 20-6. The Valkyries are 19-7, still a game back.

Las Vegas (17-7) has been idle since July 12 and finally plays Monday at Toronto (8 p.m. ET, Peacock and NBCSN), 2.0 games back. Dallas (16-8, 3.0 back) holds a game in hand and plays twice before the break: home against Los Angeles on Sunday, then the New York makeup Monday at 8 p.m. ET, the rescheduled version of the game postponed by the Liberty's charter-plane mechanical issue.

Indiana (16-10) beat New York 108-88, with Kelsey Mitchell scoring 33 on 10-of-14 shooting and Caitlin Clark adding 17. The Fever took over first in the East, 4.0 back. The Liberty have lost four straight.

Monday: the rematch, and the last game before the All-Star break

Washington at Golden State, Monday, July 20, 7 p.m. PT at Chase Center. TV: KPIX in the Bay Area, KOVR in Sacramento, Monumental Sports Network in Washington's market. Radio: 95.7 The Game, the Audacy app, and ESPN Sacramento 1320, per the Valkyries' broadcast schedule.

It is Hello Kitty Night, and the first 10,000 fans take home a plushie. More importantly for the standings, it is Golden State's final game before the All-Star break. The Valkyries are 6-0 all-time against Washington and 2-0 this season, having won 62-49 at Washington on July 6 and 74-69 on Saturday. The Mystics need Monday to avoid a season-series sweep and an 0-7 all-time hole.

Tracking

All-Star: Williams starts for Team Coop on July 25 at the United Center in Chicago (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Burton's replacement door is still open through Kelsey Plum, who has been out six-plus straight and is set to be reevaluated in late July, per NBC Sports. Olivia Miles cleared the injury report Saturday, closing the door she had opened. Sonia Citron returned from the third-quarter collision and finished with 12. No replacement has been named.
Collier: Minnesota's Napheesa Collier, out all season after offseason surgery on both ankles, "itches for return" per the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Cheryl Reeve said July 12 she is "getting really close." No date. The Lynx are 20-6 and in first without her.
Injuries: Golden State's only roster absence is Iliana Rupert, out for the season on maternity leave. Williams is healthy, 18 in 28 minutes Saturday. Watch Citron on Monday after the collision.