Valkyries deal out Aces, complete sweep in Las Vegas to advance to WNBA Finals

The Golden State Valkyries celebrate after they defeated the Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in Game 3 of the 2026 WNBA playoffs semifinals at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. The Valkyries advance to the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle LAS VEGAS — They were ready. Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob and team president Jess Smith sat in courtside seats. So did E-40, the Bay Area’s biggest, swaggiest basketball fan. They came to see the Valkyries try to secure a berth in the WNBA Finals, a mind-bending possibility for a second-year franchise. This team didn’t even compete in the league two years ago, and now it stood one win from advancing to the Finals. And, remarkably, that’s what happened. Article continues below this ad Golden State smothered the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in overtime to earn an 87-77 victory in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series. That completed the sweep for the Valkyries, in front of a boisterous crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena — including a loud, large contingent of violet-clad Valkyries fans. The Valkyries will open the WNBA Finals next Saturday (Oct. 17) at Chase Center against Atlanta. The Dream advanced earlier Friday by eliminating New York. Tell us your thoughts on Valkyries' series-clinching win With the sweep of the Aces, Golden State is headed to the WNBA Finals in just its second season. Cheryl E Reno, NV 10/09/26 So excited for this engaging, talented group of athletes! What they’re accomplishing is just spectacular, and we’re backing them from here in Reno, Nevada! Jim R Saratoga, CA 10/09/26 The players are the essence of joy and the Bay Area is the benefactor of this incredible positive energy. The players would be loved regardless of the outcome as they bring unity, teamwork and determination on and off the court to an incredible growing Legion of fans. Peter D Berkeley, CA 10/09/26 🌟Fabulous🌟! Exciting🌟! Passionate women ATHELETES in action🌟! (And a great SF🌟CHRONICLE🌟 slideshow, by the way!)🌟✨ Isn’t it a turning point in time to be alive? 🔝It already seems hard to imagine a professional sports scene without the women🌟✨!🏅🌟✨ Joan B Oakland, CA 10/09/26 Coach Nakase and this group of women are ready to go all the way and keep us Bay proud! Go Vals!! Dianne N Millbrae, CA 10/09/26 Congratulations Valkyries! I thought all the games were great, especially the last two were nail biters!💜🏀 Kayla Thornton led Golden State with 18 points, and Gabby Williams asserted herself down the stretch after struggling early to score 16. Kiah Stokes and Tiffany Hayes each added 11. Article continues below this ad FG FT Reb GOLDEN STATE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Thornton 32:50 5-12 6-7 4-9 0 3 18 Zandalasini 25:30 2-9 2-3 0-3 0 2 7 Stokes 37:32 5-5 0-0 2-10 3 2 11 Burton 37:07 3-9 2-2 0-6 4 5 8 Williams 28:32 6-16 4-4 0-0 3 0 16 Hayes 22:01 4-14 2-2 2-6 4 2 11 Charles 16:52 2-5 2-2 2-4 0 2 7 Salaun 9:38 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 2 3 Chen 7:54 2-2 2-2 0-1 2 2 6 Gueye 7:05 0-1 0-0 0-3 0 3 0 Totals 225:00 30-74 20-22 10-43 16 23 87 Percentages: FG .405, FT .909. 3-Point Goals: 7-24, .292 (Thornton 2-6, Salaun 1-1, Stokes 1-1, Charles 1-2, Zandalasini 1-3, Hayes 1-5, Burton 0-2, Williams 0-4). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 4 (Stokes 3, Burton). Turnovers: 10 (Chen 3, Williams 2, Burton, Charles, Gueye, Hayes, Stokes). Steals: 12 (Williams 3, Zandalasini 3, Hayes 2, Stokes 2, Burton, Salaun). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT Reb LAS VEGAS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Wilson 42:30 6-19 8-11 1-10 1 0 21 Young 41:39 6-16 4-4 1-3 2 5 18 Brown 17:18 4-8 0-1 4-8 0 5 8 Gray 43:11 6-12 3-3 0-5 5 1 17 Talbot 20:38 0-2 0-0 0-2 2 1 0 Evans 26:43 3-8 1-1 0-3 2 5 8 Loyd 22:44 1-3 0-0 0-2 1 0 3 Turner 5:12 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Parker-Tyus 5:05 0-0 2-2 0-1 0 1 2 Totals 225:00 26-68 18-22 6-35 13 18 77 Percentages: FG .382, FT .818. 3-Point Goals: 7-20, .350 (Gray 2-3, Young 2-6, Evans 1-2, Loyd 1-3, Wilson 1-4, Talbot 0-2). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 6 (Brown 2, Wilson 2, Gray, Talbot). Turnovers: 15 (Gray 6, Young 5, Parker-Tyus 2, Brown, Wilson). Steals: 3 (Evans, Parker-Tyus, Wilson). Technical Fouls: None. Golden State 16 20 17 18 16 — 87 Las Vegas 19 26 7 19 6 — 77 A: 10,218 (12,000). T: 2:23. Freshly minted MVP A’ja Wilson scored 21 for the Aces, who also got 18 points from Jackie Young and 17 from Chelsea Gray. The game careened into overtime only after a dramatic finish in regulation. Williams missed a difficult, driving layup with five seconds left and the score tied at 71-71. That set the stage for the Aces to take the last shot — but Gray’s potential game-winner at the buzzer rattled around the basket and bounced out. And the crowd collectively groaned. The Valkyries had erased a six-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, surging into a 69-69 tie with less than two minutes left. After Wilson missed a short jumper, Veronica Burton scored on an acrobatic, driving layup with 1:12 left to push Golden State ahead by two. Article continues below this ad Las Vegas tied the score at 71 when Young slithered free to score on a layup with 27 seconds left. More For You Long before this back-and-forth, the Aces threatened to run away. The Valkyries trailed 47-36 in the third quarter, on the verge of disappearing from sight. Then they hopped to life, ripping off 17 consecutive points — yes, 17 — to momentarily take a six-point lead. As usual, Golden State’s effort was supremely democratic. Thornton buried a 3-point shot. Hayes followed with her own 3, then zipped past Wilson to score on a driving layup. Kaitlyn Chen did the same, then fed Stokes for an unlikely 3-pointer. All the while, the Aces relied heavily on their marquee trio of Wilson, Gray and Young. Did those three players get tired in the second half? It seemed like a fair question as the Valkyries stormed back — and then not so much when the Aces quickly responded, surging back ahead by five. Article continues below this ad Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon did not disguise her intentions from the outset of Friday night’s game. She unabashedly leaned into her team’s size advantage, starting 6-foot-7 Kalani Brown alongside the 6-4 Wilson. Brown played less than two minutes, total, in three games against Indiana in the first round. She played less than three minutes in Game 1 against Golden State — and more than 23 minutes in Game 2, when Brown and Wilson helped spark Las Vegas’ spirited, second-half comeback. The Valkyries again struggled to counter this two-big lineup. On one play, Brown backed Thornton (six inches shorter at 6-1) into the low post, established position and scored on an easy layup. Thornton couldn’t do much, aside from suddenly having a growth spurt. Beyond their size edge, the Aces played with predictable urgency Friday night — knowing a loss ended their bid for a fourth WNBA championship in five years. No player embodied this more than Gray, the 34-year-old point guard and Hayward native who spent much of her youth in the East Bay (and attended St. Mary’s High in Stockton). Article continues below this ad Gray scored 15 points in the first half, pushing the Aces ahead 45-36 at the break. Williams, who entered the game averaging 24 points in the playoffs, scored only four in the half, unable to find much space to shoot (2-for-7 from the field, including missing all three attempts from beyond the arc). Oct 9, 2026 Senior Sports Enterprise Reporter Who they are Ron Kroichick is a senior sports enterprise reporter who has worked at the Chronicle since 1995. He writes features on the Warriors during the NBA season, and various other topics — from baseball and the NFL to college football and basketball — the rest of the year. He’s also the Chronicle’s golf writer, covering the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and all major championships in Northern California. Kroichick’s work has been honored numerous times, including with a first-place award from the Associated Press Sports Editors and by the Golf Writers Association of America and California Newspaper Publishers Association. He also teamed with Lance Williams to produce a series of award-winning investigative stories examining the 49ers’ political influence in the city of Santa Clara. Kroichick graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with an English degree. How to reach Ron Email rkroichick@sfchronicle.com .