The defending-champion Las Vegas Aces find themselves looking up in the standings at the second-year Golden State Valkyries as the clubs prepare to meet Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.
The Aces (4-3) have lost two in a row, including 95-87 at Dallas on Thursday night to tip off a three-game trip.
Meanwhile, the Valkyries (5-2) won their second straight Thursday, edging the Indiana Fever 90-88 in the second of four consecutive home games.
Playing for just the eighth time as an expansion franchise, Golden State surprised the Aces 95-68 as part of the Commissioner’s Cup last June. Las Vegas then exacted three measures of revenge before season’s end, including 78-72 in a return visit to San Francisco in August.
This time around, the matchup features the league’s stingiest defense (Golden State) against a team that has shot the fewest free throws in the WNBA this season (Las Vegas).
Aces coach Becky Hammon would love to see the latter change immediately, which she made clear after her club got to the foul line just 12 times (compared to Dallas’ 22) in Thursday’s loss.
“A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw. Chennedy Carter, zero; Jackie Young, zero,” Hammon cited off the stat sheet at her postgame press conference. “I’m (very) tired of that (occurrence). I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22. But when Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem.”
“We’re not getting the same whistle.”
The Valkyries, on the other hand, have built up the second-highest point differential in the league at plus-8.4 per game, trailing only the Minnesota Lynx (plus-9.2). In Thursday’s game, their success at the line made a big difference.
Veronica Burton (10-for-12) and Gabby Williams (7-for-10) combined for 22 free throw attempts alone in the win over the Fever. Golden State got seven more foul shots than Indiana in the two-point win.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase believes the nightly sellout her club attracts at Chase Center helps in many ways.
“It’s great that everyone comes, whether it’s Indiana or Vegas coming up,” she noted to reporters Thursday. “I want it loud; I want the boos and the cheers and ups and the downs. We want all 14 (visiting teams) to be rivals. It’s good for the game.”
–Field Level Media
