Las Vegas Aces vs Golden State Valkyries - WNBA Playoffs - Semifinals - Game 2 - 2026

Game Summary: Las Vegas Aces vs Golden State Valkyries

First Quarter

Golden State came out firing and let Las Vegas know this was not going to be a gift. The Valkyries ripped off the game’s first 7 points and pushed to an early 17-7 lead with just under 3 minutes left in the opening quarter. Over that stretch, the Aces could not buy a bucket, going just 3 of 9 from the floor while the home team hit 5 of 10. Wilson was the one thing working, scoring 6 of the team’s 11 points in the period, including the last 4 to at least stop the bleeding.

The numbers tell the story of a slow start. Las Vegas shot 40 percent (4 of 10) from the field, Golden State 38.5 percent, and both sides hit exactly 33.3 percent from deep, the Aces 1 of 3 and the Valkyries a busier 3 of 9. Those three extra makes from distance were the margin, and they would be a theme all night. Defensively, Las Vegas competed, but the early hole meant the Aces were chasing, a pattern that would define the night.

Williams set the early tone for the hosts with a quarter-high 7 points, while Wilson paced everyone else with her 6. Young and the rest of the Las Vegas backcourt stayed quiet, and the Aces walked to the second quarter down 19-11, searching for answers.

Second Quarter

The second quarter opened with a flicker of life. Kalani Brown scored inside to pull the Aces within 19-13, but Golden State answered immediately with 7 straight to balloon the lead to 26-13. Brown kept battling, scoring the next 3 points herself, and then the Valkyries uncorked an 8-2 spurt that pushed the margin to its largest of the half at 34-18. For a few minutes it looked like it might get ugly.

It did not. Las Vegas steadied itself and outscored Golden State 13-8 over the rest of the quarter to climb back within 11 by the break. The shooting was there in this stretch, the Aces hitting 6 of 13 (.462) overall and a sharp 2 of 4 (.500) from 3-point range, while the Valkyries connected on 8 of 17 (.471) and 4 of 9 from deep. The Aces’ comeback within the half was built on ball movement and timely second-chance buckets, and it kept the deficit manageable.

Hayes was the problem again, leading all scorers with 10 points off the Golden State bench, and Brown topped Las Vegas with 7. Wilson stayed in attack mode, but the halftime scoreboard read 42-31, and the Aces had dug themselves a hole that would take all night to climb out of.

Third Quarter

Whatever Becky Hammon said at the break did not take right away. The two teams traded early before A’ja Wilson went to work, scoring a pair of and-1s in a 6-2 spurt that trimmed the deficit to 46-39 and got the Las Vegas bench up. Then Golden State punched back with consecutive 3-pointers to stretch it to 52-39 with just over 7 minutes left in the third.

Hammon called timeout, and the Aces responded, cutting the lead back to single digits at 52-43. The problem was keeping it there. Golden State answered with a 13-4 run over the next four and a half minutes that quietly buried Las Vegas, and even a late 8-2 push to close the quarter, led by 5 points from Gray, left the Aces staring at an 11-point hole with 10 minutes to play. The pattern was maddening for Hammon: every time the Aces clawed close, the Valkyries had an answer, usually from behind the arc, and usually immediately.

The shooting was actually good here. Las Vegas shot 53.3 percent (8 of 15) but went just 1-of-5 from 3-point range, while Golden State hit 43.8 percent (7 of 16) and 2-of-6 from deep. Wilson led the field with 13 points, and Williams tallied 8, and the Aces trailed 66-55 with a quarter to save their season.

Fourth Quarter

The Aces made it a game when it mattered. Las Vegas chipped the deficit to 70-64 with 7 minutes to go, and after Golden State hit 3 free throws, the Aces answered with the next 4 to make it 73-68. Then Las Vegas knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in an 8-0 run and did the unthinkable at the Chase Center, taking its first lead of the night, 76-74, with 1:36 to play.

It lasted 11 seconds. Golden State tied it, the Aces coughed up a shot clock violation on the next trip, and the Valkyries buried their 10th 3 of the game, a dagger from Veronica Burton, for a 79-76 cushion with 41.5 seconds left. Gray had kept Las Vegas alive with the game-tying triple at 74-74.

After Gray missed a 3 and a jump ball went Golden State’s way, the Valkyries ran the clock and forced the Aces to foul. Chelsea Gray sank a pair to cut the lead to 79-78; Golden State answered from the stripe, and Young made the first before intentionally missing the second with 5.9 seconds left. Gray chased the rebound but could not get the putback to fall as the horn sounded. Las Vegas shot a cold 36.8 percent (7 of 19) in the quarter yet a scorching 57.1 percent (4 of 7) from deep, and it still was not enough.

Bottom Line

Here is the truth: the Aces lost this game at the 3-point line and on their own bench. Golden State buried 10 triples to Las Vegas’s 8, and those two extra makes were essentially the final margin. The Valkyries bench outscored the Las Vegas reserves 34 to 14, got 8 fast-break points to the Aces’ 0, and turned 16 points off turnovers against 13 the other way. Las Vegas actually won the paint 24 to 20 and shot 88.5 percent from the line, but Golden State’s 92.6 percent and a 30-25 rebounding edge covered the gaps.

The individual history was nuts, even in defeat. Wilson extended her league-high streak to 39 straight playoff games in double figures and has now scored 20 or more in 11 consecutive postseason outings, breaking a tie with Breanna Stewart for the longest such run in WNBA history, and she moved past Candace Parker into a share of No. 2 on the all-time postseason defensive rebounding list. Gray passed Seimone Augustus for No. 8 in postseason made field goals, and Young slid into No. 8 all-time for playoff 3-pointers past Kayla McBride. All of it came without Jewell Loyd, out with a left leg issue. Gray also climbed the postseason 2-point field goals list, and the effort was there for Las Vegas; the execution in the biggest moments of a tight road game simply was not there. Down 0-2, the Aces go home needing to win three in a row.

TOP PERFORMERS

TEAM STATS

Points in the Paint: LVA 24, GSV 20 | Second Chance: LVA 6, GSV 9 | Fast Break: LVA 0, GSV 8 | Off Turnovers: LVA 13, GSV 16 | Bench: LVA 14, GSV 34

Next up: The series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 of the Semifinals, which tips at 6:30 p.m. at Michelob ULTRA Arena and streams on Peacock and NBCSN. Game 4, if necessary, will also be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 11.

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— TQ (@tqthetrojan) for Franchise Sports Media

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