Two of the top rookies in the WNBA go head-to-head for a third and final time this season when Janelle Salaun and the Golden State Valkyries try for a fifth consecutive win at the expense of Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on Thursday night in San Francisco.
Experiencing an impressive four-game win streak that began at Dallas on Aug. 24, Golden State (22-18) has surged into the sixth playoff position with just four games remaining.
While chasing an uncatchable Bueckers in the Rookie of the Year race, Salaun has at least strengthened her credentials for a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie team with double-figure scoring in each of Golden State’s last three wins, averaging 13.3 points over that stretch. She also made 9 of her 17 3-point attempts (53 percent) in those wins.
Salaun and Bueckers have played basically on even terms in their two previous meetings, with Salaun having missed the clubs’ first matchup — an 80-71 Dallas home win in June — while away from the team at the EuroBasket event.
Bueckers, the league’s leading scorer among rookies with an 18.9 average, outscored her rival 17-16 despite the Valkyries turning the tables on the Wings in an 86-76 home win in July. The two then each scored just nine points – with Bueckers shooting 3-for-12 — when Golden State won 90-81 at Dallas last month.
Salaun has played a role in a stingy Valkyries defense that has shackled many of the league’s top scorers and teams. Golden State has allowed just 62 points to the Washington Mystics, 63 to the Indiana Fever and 58 to the New York Liberty in the last three games.
“They love defense,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase assured the media after holding the Liberty to a season-low point total in a 66-58 home win Tuesday. “Our players are tough. They’re gritty. I think that definitely has built who we are, and I think that’s why we have won 22 games because of it, because of our defense.”
While Golden State has responded positively to losing All-Star Kayla Thornton for the season to a knee injury, the Wings have lost eight of nine — including the last eight — since Arike Ogunbowale has been sidelined with right knee tendinitis. Dallas has yet to announce whether the four-time All-Star will be able to return this season.
The Wings (9-32) have been particularly uncompetitive on the first two stops of their current four-game trip, falling 100-78 at Atlanta last Friday and 96-71 at Minnesota on Monday.
Bueckers admits she’s had to help fill the void left by Ogunbowale’s absence, and that’s made her a better all-around player.
“Truly, I think my leadership ability (has been my biggest growth) and the way that I can use my voice,” the 23-year-old told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve gotten more confident in that. I know it’s hard as a rookie coming in, but I’ve continued to build that confidence throughout a long season.”
–Field Level Media
