Date, Time, Location: Tuesday, September 9th, 7:00pm PDT, Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)
Broadcast Information: KPYX (Bay Area) and KMAX (Sacramento area), KUNS (opposition local market), WNBA League Pass (out-of-market streaming), Audacy (radio)
The Golden State Valkyries visit the Seattle Storm on Tuesday for what could end up being a critical game for both teams. All of the exact playoff implications will not be determined until the conclusion of a game earlier in the day, but this could be a game that locks the Valkyries into their playoff seed or clinches a playoff spot for the Storm. Golden State won both games in San Francisco earlier in the season, but Seattle did win their first home game in the series in July. Unfortunately, this will be another game that will only be aired locally in one of the three major media markets within the Golden State broadcast territory.
The Valkyries
There was big news for this game on Monday when the Valkyries released Liz Kitley, meaning that Cecilia Zandalasini is expected to return for this game. It would certainly make sense to ease her in off of the bench, but having another wing option and extra shooting ability will be a help. Golden State could be locked into the sixth seed for the playoffs beforehand if Indiana loses to Minnesota in a game that should be completed before this game, but would also seal that playoff placement with a victory if Indiana wins. Iliana Rupert officially signed on the day of the last meeting, but did not play, while Kaila Charles was also not with the team yet and will get the chance to face the team that she played for briefly in 2023.
The Opposition
Seattle will be preparing for this game as a must-win even though they would need the right results in other games to move up in the standings. They still have not clinched a playoff spot, but could do so even with a loss if Phoenix defeats Los Angeles in a game that will be going on at the exact same time as this one. Seattle has missed chances to clinch earlier, coming off of two home losses to Los Angeles and New York as they have only had an 8-12 record since defeating Golden State.
Other than Katie Lou Samuelson, who was already known to be missing the entire season since training camp, Seattle has a clean bill of health for this game. The team made a big trade since the last time that they played the Valkyries, trying to go make a push for the postseason that has not materialized yet. They brought in wing Brittney Sykes to bolster their starting lineup at the other guard spot, sending veteran forward Alysha Clark and backup guard Zia Cooke to Washington. The Mystics subsequently waived Cooke so they have since brought her back to fill their last roster spot. The other part of the trade involved sending their upcoming first round draft pick, which was not expected to be too early in the draft, but with their struggles since then, it could end up in the lottery if they fail to make the playoffs.
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