76-75 Locks Golden State's No. 2 Seed
Golden State rallies from 16 down to beat Los Angeles 76-75, lock the No. 2 seed, and open the playoffs at home against Dallas.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official Kaitlyn Chen headshot, Golden State Valkyries.
Gabby Williams buried the go-ahead three with 20.4 seconds left to put Golden State up 73-72 at Crypto.com Arena, then Kayla Thornton went 3-for-3 from the line in the final stretch so the Sparks' last score only trimmed it to 76-75.
The Valkyries erased a 16-point second-half hole for the largest comeback in franchise history, finished the regular season 32-12, and locked the No. 2 seed with a first-round series against seventh-seeded Dallas opening Sunday at Chase Center.
Los Angeles led 69-57 with 4:42 left and did not make another field goal for more than four and a half minutes. From 71-59, Golden State ripped a 17-1 run that flipped a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead before the final Sparks basket. Williams scored eight straight in that window after a scoreless middle two quarters, including the steal and layup that got Golden State inside two and the three that put them ahead. Kaitlyn Chen dropped 14 of her 18 in the fourth, all 18 after halftime, on 8-of-12 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Veronica Burton added 17 and five assists. Kiah Stokes pulled a season-high 12 boards. The Golden State bench outscored Los Angeles 33-16.
Nneka Ogwumike's farewell sat on the other ledger. She closed a 15-year career with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists for her 19th double-double of the season and the 134th of her career, sixth in league history. Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell scored 15 each. The Sparks finished 16-28. Golden State swept all three meetings this year.
The seed is the product of a year that already stretched past expansion tape. The Valkyries set the expansion wins record and reached the postseason in year one, then added nine wins in 2026 to finish 32-12. Williams closed the season with 560 points, a franchise single-season mark. Stokes set club marks with 248 rebounds and 74 blocks. Janelle Salaün made 93 threes. Burton stole 69. Four Valkyries (Burton, Thornton, Kaila Charles, and Chen) played all 44 games, the most availability from any roster in the league this season. Against seven teams including Dallas, Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles, Golden State went a combined 21-0 and swept the season series.
Sunday's series is best-of-three in a 1-1-1 format. Dallas arrives as the No. 7 seed at 27-17 after a 17-win single-season jump off a 10-win 2025. Golden State already owns the regular-season sweep of the Wings. Chase Center hosts Game 1. The film that matters now is whether the same fourth-quarter pressure that turned a 16-point hole into a No. 2 seed holds when the Wings bring Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and Jessica Shepard into Chase Center.
The receipt from Thursday is concrete: 76-75, a 16-point franchise-largest comeback, 32-12, Chen's 14-point fourth, Williams' go-ahead three at 20.4, and home court against Dallas with the No. 2 seed already stamped.
Sources
- Associated Press via ABC News. Valkyries 76-75 over Sparks. Chen 14 of 18 in the fourth. Williams eight points in the final 90 seconds, go-ahead three at 20.4 for 73-72. Sparks led 69-57 with 4:42 left, no field goal until the final second. Ogwumike 17-15-5 farewell, 19th double-double of the season, 134th career (sixth all-time). Thornton free throws. Burton 17. Series opens Sunday vs Dallas.
- Associated Press via CBS Sports. Same AP wire. AP parenthetical listed Golden State (32-11); corrected below against standings and team recap.
- Golden State Valkyries gameday recap. Official: largest comeback in franchise history (16 points). Finished 32-12. 17-1 run from 71-59. Williams 14 points in 19:43, 6-14 FG, 2-3 from three, go-ahead three with 20 seconds for 73-72. Chen 18 (all second half), 14 in the fourth, 8-12 FG. Stokes season-high 12 rebounds. Bench 33-16. Season series sweep of Sparks. Combined 21-0 vs seven swept teams including Dallas. Williams 560 points (franchise season mark). Stokes 248 rebounds, 74 blocks. Salaün 93 threes. Burton 69 steals. Four players in all 44 games. Host Wings Sunday at Chase Center.
- Valkyries first-round series note. No. 2 vs No. 7 Dallas, best-of-three 1-1-1, Game 1 Sunday Sept. 27 at Chase Center.
- USA TODAY / centraloregondaily.com final standings. Final: Lynx 33-11, Valkyries 32-12, Aces 31-13, Dream 30-14, Mystics 28-16, Fever 28-16, Wings 27-17, Liberty 26-18. Bracket: Minnesota vs New York, Golden State vs Dallas, Las Vegas vs Indiana, Atlanta vs Washington.
- ESPN WNBA standings. Golden State final regular-season record 32-12; Sparks 16-28.
- Photos: WNBA.com official Kaitlyn Chen headshot player ID 1642822; Golden State Valkyries official in-game still of Chen vs Sparks, Sep 24, 2026.
Related Posts
Max Strus's Partial Plantar Fascia Tear Puts Him Out at Least 4 Weeks
The Clippers' $16.6 million trade-exception pickup tore the plantar fascia in his right foot 14 months after a left-foot fracture, and his re-evaluation lands on the Nov. 2 Toronto game.
Zoja Štirn's ACL Tear Leaves Purdue Down to 12 Available Players
The Slovenian freshman is out for 2026-27 after a torn left ACL, the second season-ending knee injury in Purdue's guard room in three weeks, leaving Kyndall Hunter as the last healthy point guard.
Nic Claxton's Hamstring Tweak Brings a Two-Week Re-Evaluation Before Bulls Opener
Tiago Splitter says the Bulls' new starting center will be re-evaluated in two weeks, on Oct. 19, two days before Chicago opens in Toronto. Opening Night remains possible.