Date, Time, Location: Saturday, June 14th, 5:30pm PDT, Chase Center
Broadcast Information: KPIX (Bay Area) and KMAX (Sacramento area), KUNS (away team market), WNBA League Pass (outside local markets), KGMZ (radio)
After not having a game since Monday, the Golden State Valkyries return to action on Saturday with a home game against the Seattle Storm. They will try to extend their winning streak past two games, but will have another tough matchup against a team expecting to advance in the postseason. This game is also part of the Commissioner’s Cup and the Valkyries would be officially eliminated from possibly making the final with a loss.
The Valkyries
Golden State knows that they will be entering this game shorthanded with Julie Vanloo and Janelle Salaun not with the team and their replacements not being able to be signed until after this game. Laeticia Amihere was able to be signed immediately after the team waived Kyara Linskens while Aerial Powers was signed as soon as possible after Cecilia Zandalasini’s roster spot was able to be used while she is away. The health question continues to be Tiffany Hayes as she hopes to be able to finally return.
With the Valkyries losing two of the starters from Monday ahead of this game, there will definitely need to be a lineup change. If Hayes is healthy, it seems likely that she takes that spot, but if she is out again, both Carla Leite and Kate Martin have had strong games recently. Both could start if Kayla Thornton is shifted to the 4, but the team could also opt to start a taller lineup and bring in Monique Billings. The decision may come down to which players are available and which of the new players are ready to play rotation minutes.
The Golden State Valkyries somewhat famously did not end up selecting a player from the Seattle Storm during the expansion draft process so nobody on the roster played with them last season. Stephanie Talbot did play with them for two seasons though and would be looking to face them after not playing in the last game. Natalie Nakase coached Seattle’s Alysha Clark for the last two season when they were both in Las Vegas.
The Opposition
Last season was supposed to be the time when the Seattle Storm’s last moves would put them into championship contention, but they never quite demonstrated that level and decided to make further changes this offseason. Skylar Diggins and former Stanford star Nneka Ogwumike, their two big signings last year, returned to continue providing veteran leadership at point guard and power forward. Ezi Magbegor also returns as the starting center while Gabby Williams, who the team had only had available for parts of the last two seasons, was able to sign from the start of this year and has been excellent for them on the wing.
Bench production was a concern for Seattle after last season and the team decided to make drastic changes, partially forced to do so with the loss of Nika Muhl and Jordan Horston to injuries sustained in the offseason. Erica Wheeler has become their fifth starter to give them another guard option while Zia Cooke was also brought in as a backup wing. The Storm brought back a player who had previous championship experience with them, signing Alysha Clark at forward, although she is no longer starting. Katie Lou Samuelson was their other free agent addition, but she suffered a season-ending injury in training camp and is still on their roster.
Seattle also shook up their roster with a major trade that saw Jewell Loyd depart and they ended up getting two centers back from Los Angeles. Li Yueru was expected to be a backup after they acquired the exclusive rights to sign her, but her lack of playing time so far could lead them to trade her again this season. They also secured the second pick in the draft and ended up choosing French center Dominique Malonga. As an international, she is younger than the draftees from the college path, but she has been contributing more as she has had the chance to acclimate. The Storm made an additional trade with the Sparks to bring in Lexie Brown as an experienced backup guard to add shooting ability.
The Storm have serious momentum coming into this game after handing the Minnesota Lynx their first loss of the season on Wednesday. They are on their second three-game winning streak of the year after snapping a three-game losing streak. Their loss in the opener was by a large margin, but they have played well overall since then even in defeat, although they will be hoping to win at a better clip than their current 6-4 record. This recent run means that they have a chance at grabbing the Commissioner’s Cup Final spot in the Western Conference so this game will take on additional meaning for them in that pursuit.
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