Aces get a short breather before facing Valkyries in WNBA semifinals

After outlasting the Indiana Fever in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, the Las Vegas Aces get a short breather to recuperate before the next round begins on Sunday.

The Aces will face the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries on the road in San Francisco for Game 1 of the semifinals. Golden State beat the No. 7 seed Dallas Wings 77-73 on Friday at home to advance.

Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 19 points, while three teammates finished in double figures, too: Tiffany Hayes (18), Veronica Burton (16) and Kaila Charles (10). Former Ace Kia Stokes was a menace on the glass Friday with 13 rebounds — nine on defense.

In their first-round series-clinching Game 3 victory on Thursday, Las Vegas starters Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray played all 40 minutes. A’ja Wilson logged just over 37 minutes while filling the stat sheet (36 points, 10 rebounds).

The Aces brought just two players off the bench: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Mai Yamamoto.

“The biggest thing for us is rest and getting healthy,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said. “This was a grind. … So, let them take a breath, take a beat, and then when we come back on Saturday, I know they’ll be locked in and ready to go.”

The Aces were without Stephanie Talbot on Thursday after she was declared inactive shortly before the game due to a left knee injury.

Jewell Loyd, the 12-year veteran and former No. 1 overall draft pick, stepped up in place of Talbot to play spoiler to Indiana star Caitlin Clark for 35 minutes, 19 seconds — her second-longest time on the court this year. Loyd and Gray kept the heat on Clark, who finished with a plus/minus figure of -14 and went just 6-of-18 from the field, including 3-for-12 on three-pointers.

Talbot’s injury added more pressure to a team already without NaLyssa Smith, who suffered a season-ending left leg injury in August. Hammon was optimistic Thursday that Talbot would be ready to return for the semifinals.

“I know she was heartbroken; she couldn’t get out there and physically get it done,” Hammon said. “I’m hoping — I don’t know for sure — but I’m hoping she should be good for this next series.”

Having Talbot back for the next round would give the Aces another strong defender on the floor and take some of the load off Las Vegas’ big three of Wilson, Gray and Wilson.

When Hammon determined that Talbot wasn’t 100 percent, she told the trio to get ready for a full night on the court. They answered the call.

Wilson set the tone for the Aces in Game 3, her 37th consecutive playoff game scoring in double figures. Gray’s fourth-quarter performance (11 points) helped Las Vegas hold off Indiana for the win and Young’s seven assists on the night turned into 19 points.

“I know the ball is going to be in my hands a lot, and so whether it’s shooting it or passing it to my teammates, you know, just making the right play off of that ball screen,” Young said. “Just knowing that even if my shot isn’t falling, I can still just play hard, show up, give a lot of effort, especially on the defensive end.”

Aces get opponent, venue

The Aces will face the first two games of the semifinals on the road at Chase Center on Sunday and Wednesday before returning home for Game 3 on Friday at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty face-off in the other semifinal.

Hammon knows that a return to the WNBA Finals for her defending champions will be a tough climb.

“It’s not going to get easier with either team that we face,” Hammon said before knowing the opponent. “We’ll have a game plan that I know we’ll be able to execute, especially defensively.”

Las Vegas went 3-0 against the Valkyries this season, but hasn’t faced them in months.

Golden State’s ascension from 2025 expansion team to 2026 playoff contender may remind Las Vegans of another gilded franchise.

The Valkyries are stingy on defense and finished the regular season giving up a league-low 75.1 points per game. Williams (who grew up in Sparks) led Golden State with 14.4 points per game, and is coming off a 36-point effort in the Game 2 overtime loss to Dallas. Stokes was fourth in the league this year in blocks per game.

Wilson leads the way

As Wilson goes, so do the Aces. When the four-time MVP scores at least 25 points in a playoff game, Las Vegas is 17-1.

She hit that mark in the third quarter of Thursday’s win and finished with the 28th double-double of her postseason career. The Aces will bank on Wilson’s leadership again in the semifinals.

It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly. In a Game 3 that felt emotionally charged, especially following the previous game’s incident in Indiana with a fan who left his baseline seat to point and shout at Wilson, she was Las Vegas’ guiding force.

“If I want to continue to be the best and be on the best team and play with the best players, I’ve got to hold my end of the stick,” Wilson said. “It’s not just on me. It’s my teammates that really help me be who I am. But every night I step foot on the court, I don’t take a possession for granted, because I know how much I can give to this game.”