The Golden State Valkyries demolished the Las Vegas Aces 95-68 at home at the Chase Center Saturday afternoon thanks to the combined efforts of Kayla Thornton, Kate Martin, Veronica Burton, and Monique Billings. The game was the first between Natalie Nakase and Becky Hammon since the former departed the Aces to lead Golden State.
Perhaps no one was more gratified by the win than Nakase, who spent three seasons with the Aces as an assistant coach before she landed the job in San Francisco. ESPN's Kendra Andrews noted ahead of the game that Hammon said Nakase "could have left her post with the Aces earlier than she did, but respects the time she took to find the right landing spot."
Becky Hammon says Natalie Nakase could have left her post with the Aces earlier than she did, but respects the time she took to find the right landing spot.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) June 7, 2025
The two had a lot of conversations about Nakase coming to GSV when the opportunity came.
The game was a huge showing for the Valkyries, who battled their way back from a four-game losing streak. Golden State put on a relentless showing against the Aces and appeared to have ironed out many of their problems from games earlier this season.
The Aces struggled across the board Saturday, with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young failing to contribute the numbers fans are used to seeing. The Valkyries were able to use this to their advantage while deftly sailing through the Aces' defense to put up big buckets of their own.
The match was marked by several thrilling moments and a few huge takeaways, including:
Multiple Valkyries walked away with double-doubles
Thornton, Burton, and Billings all hit double-doubles Saturday. Thornton ended the game with 22 points and 11 rebounds; Burton with 12 assists and 14 points, and Billings with 11 rebounds and 14 points.
Kate Martin thrilled the home crowd
KATE MONEY MARTIN BEATS THE HALFTIME BUZZER 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 7, 2025
LVA-GSV on ABC | WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase pic.twitter.com/UQKyOJ8xU6
Martin thrilled fans in San Francisco with her buzzer-beater just before halftime, but she hit major shots all night. The WNBA sophomore walked away with 12 points and 7 rebounds of her own, the third double-digit game of the season for Martin so far.
The Valkyries hit a season-high 95 points
The team also collectively scored the most points in team history — which is admittedly short, but 95 points is a massive showing no matter who you are in the league.
With this win, the Valkyries will next face off against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Crypto.com Arena on June 9. The team has a 1-1 record against the team, though it's entirely plausible this win will propel the Valkyries to the kind of greatness Bay Area fans have been expecting.