Gabby Williams' 19 a Game Against the Aces Frames Sunday's Semifinal
Williams averaged 19.0 points a game in Golden State's three regular-season losses to Las Vegas, and the best-of-five semifinal opens Sunday at Chase Center.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official Gabby Williams headshot, Golden State Valkyries.
Gabby Williams averaged 19.0 points a game across three regular-season meetings with the Las Vegas Aces, including a then career-high 27 on 10-of-17 shooting in a June 6 loss at Michelob ULTRA Arena, and that average is the first number Golden State brings into Sunday's best-of-five semifinal opener at Chase Center.
The Valkyries are 0-3 against Las Vegas this season. The Aces took those games 91-81 on May 31 in San Francisco, 84-79 on June 6 in Las Vegas, and 92-73 on June 21 in Las Vegas, by an average margin of 11.3 points. Sunday tips at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and Game 2 is also at Chase Center before the series shifts to Nevada.
That 0-3 is more than three months old. In the June 21 meeting, Golden State made five of 30 threes while Jackie Young scored 21, A'ja Wilson added 19 and nine, and Chelsea Gray had 15 points and nine assists in a five-player double-figure night for the Aces. Natalie Nakase and her staff have had the summer and a first-round series to adjust. Las Vegas comes in thinner. NaLyssa Smith and Janiah Barker are out for the season, and Dana Evans (knee) and Stephanie Talbot (leg) are day to day, per FOX Sports.
Williams is the hinge on Golden State's side. On June 6 she scored 27 with three made threes and four free throws, and Veronica Burton's left-handed layup put the Valkyries ahead with 38 seconds left before Young answered with her sixth three of the night. On May 31 at Chase, Williams and Kayla Thornton each made four threes in a 91-81 loss that included an 11-0 Valkyries run in the fourth. Her recent scoring has swung. She scored a career-high 36 in the Game 2 overtime loss at Dallas, per USA TODAY and ESPN, but has averaged 13.1 points over her last 10 games, per FOX Sports. On the other side, Wilson averaged a league-high 32 points in three first-round games against Indiana, per USA TODAY.
Golden State opens with two games at Chase Center, the building the roster calls Ballhalla, after erasing a 16-point hole in Game 3 against Dallas and posting a franchise-record 104 in Game 1 of that series. The Dyme already logged the 77-73 closeout and Wilson's 36 and 10 that put both teams here.
The coaching and roster overlap cuts both ways. Nakase won two titles as Hammon's assistant in Las Vegas. Kiah Stokes played five seasons with the Aces and was a defensive staple there, per USA TODAY. Tiffany Hayes played one season in Las Vegas, in 2024, and won Sixth Player of the Year. The Aces got six points from their bench against Indiana, per USA TODAY. With Talbot ruled out before Game 3, Hammon told Gray and Young to "be ready to run 40."
Las Vegas arrives as the defending champion and is in its eighth straight semifinals, a run that dates to Wilson's rookie year. The Aces' Big 3 have a combined 184 games of playoff experience, per USA TODAY. Golden State allowed a league-low 75.1 points per game in the regular season, per ESPN. Can that defense slow Wilson's 32-point pace on Sunday?
Sources
- Valkyries: Look back at 2026 regular-season matchups vs Aces. Official recap. Scores May 31 (91-81 LV), June 6 (84-79 LV), June 21 (92-73 LV); Williams 19.0 PPG across the three; June 6 Williams 27 (10-17 FG, 3-7 3PT, 4-5 FT); June 21 GS 5-of-30 from three; Young 21 / Wilson 19-9 / Gray 15-9 ast on June 21; May 31 Wilson 28-15, Young 23 with five threes; series opens Sun Oct 4 at Chase.
- USA TODAY: WNBA playoffs semifinals preview. Meghan L. Hall, Mitchell Northam, Callie Fin. Oct 3, 2026. Aces 3-0 in the regular-season series; average margin 11.3; last meeting June 21; Wilson league-high 32 PPG vs Fever; Aces six bench points vs Indiana; Hammon "be ready to run 40"; Aces eighth straight semis; Wilson/Young/Gray combined 184 playoff games; Nakase two titles as Aces assistant; Stokes five seasons in Las Vegas as a defensive staple; Hayes 2024 Sixth Player of the Year with Las Vegas; Williams career-best 36 in Game 2 overtime loss in Dallas; franchise-record 104 in Game 1.
- FOX Sports: Golden State hosts Las Vegas to open semifinals. Oct 3, 2026. Aces 3-0 in the regular-season series; last meeting 92-73 June 21; Williams 13.1 points over the past 10 games; Aces injuries: Barker and Smith out for season, Evans (knee) and Talbot (leg) day to day.
- ESPN: Valkyries rally from 16 down for first series win. Oct 2, 2026. First franchise playoff series win; Williams 19; Burton 16-10-6; semis vs Aces.
- ESPN: How the Valkyries advanced to their first semifinals. Kendra Andrews, Oct 2, 2026. Williams career-high 36 in Game 2; league-low 75.1 points per game allowed.
- The Dyme: 77-73 Gives the Valkyries Their First Playoff Series Win. Oct 2, 2026.
- The Dyme: A'ja Wilson's 36 and 10 Close Out the Fever. Oct 2, 2026.
- Photo: WNBA.com. Official Gabby Williams headshot, Golden State Valkyries.
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