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We had a Game 7 last night in the NBA and today we get… well, a game in the WNBA.
I’m all for basketball when I can get it. However, I always wonder how the scheduling works where we only have one game some days and 10 others. Either way, I’ll take it and I’ll bet on it too. This one is between the Las Vegas Aces and the Golden State Valkyries.
The Aces have been the WNBA’s dynasty, and they still have their window wide open. I suspect any team with annual MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate A’ja Wilson will have the potential to win a championship. However, the Aces have done a great job of surrounding Wilson with talent, even if they got rid of one of their best players (Kelsey Plum). They got off to a slow start last year before ultimately making a run for their third championship in four years.
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Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson celebrates after Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
This season has seen them drop the opener against the Mercury (the team they beat for the championship last season), then win four straight games. However, they have lost their last two games, losing one to Plum and the Sparks and the other to the upstart Dallas Wings. This is a team that knows they can turn it on whenever they want, and May games really aren’t going to do it for them, usually.
The Valkyries put together a solid season last year, their first in existence. They set attendance records and proved that this was a great place for a franchise. But if you want to keep fans, you have to win games. So far this season, they are delivering on that as they are 5-2 on the year. They have already beaten the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty. All of these are projected to be postseason teams this year, and they were last year.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson celebrates with teammates after Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Wilson holds the WNBA Finals MVP trophy. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
I’m curious to see how they build this team and look to improve it. Right now the team is built on a trio of Veronica Burton, Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaun. All three together give an average of around 45 points per match. That’s a little more than half of their team’s average. Salaun is a bench player and enters matches with scoring as his main intention. The rest of the team is built on solid role players who don’t turn the ball over that much.
If you don’t follow the news with the WNBA much, you probably don’t realize that the referees in this league are significantly worse than the NBA referees, who also receive regular criticism. In the final game for the Aces, head coach Becky Hammon blasted the referees for their performance. She was fined as usual. What typically happens, though, is that the team gets some makeup calls the next game, so expect to see a positive whistle for the Aces.
Caitlin Clark made WNBA history again, but Golden State’s relentless defense and a hostile crowd ensured a narrow victory. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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They probably won’t need that. Wilson is tough to guard for every team in the league, but the Valkyries aren’t really equipped with anyone who can stick with her. Wilson has averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds against them in his four games against them, and frankly, two of those games weren’t very impressive shooting performances.
Expect Wilson to torch them today and get what she wants offensively. Give me her over point and rebound total (33.5).
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