The Golden State Valkyries entered the WNBA semifinals with something to prove against the Las Vegas Aces. With three regular-season meetings and three wins, the Aces had spent the 2026 campaign making clear just how wide the gap still was between an established championship programme and a second-year expansion franchise. On Sunday night, the Valkyries emphatically flipped that script.

Led by a sensational Gabby Williams performance, Golden State dominated the boards, frustrated A’ja Wilson, and completely disrupted the Aces’ usually potent offence en route to a 71-60 victory at Chase Center. The message to the defending champions was unmistakable, the Valkyries are not here merely to make up the numbers in their first-ever second-round playoff appearance.

It is now a 1-0 series lead for Golden State, with Game 2 on Wednesday. But before that, here are the biggest storylines from a historic Game 1.

Gabby Williams’ Double-Double Powers Valkyries to Game 1 Victory

Gabby Williams entered the semifinal series carrying the momentum of a spectacular second-round performance against the Dallas Wings. Against the Las Vegas Aces, she showed absolutely no signs of slowing down.

The Golden State star delivered another statement performance, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to record her first double-double of the postseason.  In doing so, she also became the first Valkyries player to record a 25-point, 10-rebound, five-assist playoff game

She was particularly aggressive early, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers before adding a mid-range jumper over A’ja Wilson as the Valkyries established control of the game’s early tempo. That level of performance also continued beyond halftime and even when the Las Vegas Aces threatened to build momentum. Her three-pointer with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter pushed Golden State’s lead back to nine after the Aces had begun to stir.

Joe Lacob’s Bold “Best Player in the World” Declaration on Gabby Williams

Gabby Williams’ performance was impressive enough to draw an extraordinary declaration from Golden State owner Joe Lacob. Whether for that specific showing or for everything she has delivered across the entire season, as far as Lacob is concerned, the title of the “best player in the world” belongs to her. 

“There she is,” Lacob told Williams after the game. “Best player in the world. No one is saying it, but they need to start saying it.”

That is obviously an enormous statement, particularly given the calibre of player Williams had just spent the game competing against. She had been matched up against A’ja Wilson, one of the most decorated players in WNBA history, and had outperformed her in virtually every relevant category. Williams herself appeared visibly amused when she heard Lacob’s comments, even rolling her eyes at the declaration.

But that performance was genuinely a best-in-the-world-calibre showing. And Lacob’s words speak to the organisational belief in Williams that has defined Golden State’s approach since her arrival.

Aces’ Rebounding Struggles Prove Costly Against Valkyries

If there was one area that completely tilted Game 1 in the Golden State Valkeries’ favour, it was the rebounding battle. The Valkyries dominated the Aces 52-25 on the boards, an extraordinary margin in a semifinal game. Even more damaging, 17 of those rebounds came on the offensive end, compared with just two for Las Vegas. And Golden State converted those second chances into 20 points, a disparity that proved impossible for the Aces to overcome.

Kiah Stokes was particularly instrumental in this rebound battle. She led the charge with 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Kayla Thornton also added 11, while Williams contributed 11 boards.

What made it particularly frustrating for Las Vegas was that this was not a surprise. Becky Hammon acknowledged bluntly that her team had simply failed to execute on something they had specifically addressed in preparation. 

“All we talked about the last 48 hours was rebounding and blocking them out, and we did not do that. Period,” she said. 

Perhaps the birds are one place where the Valkeries seem to have a superpower. The Aces will definitely need to find a solution before Game 2 or risk falling into a very difficult hole in the series.

Kiah Stokes’ Defensive Masterclass Against A’ja Wilson

While Williams grabbed the headlines, Kiah Stokes also delivered one of the most important individual defensive performances of the game. She announced her presence immediately, blocking A’ja Wilson’s shot on the Aces’ very first offensive possession, setting the tone for an afternoon in which Wilson found little comfort around the basket.

Stokes eventually finished with 14 rebounds and four blocks, two of those coming against Wilson in the second quarter alone. Of course, Wilson still managed 24 points, but she required 21 field-goal attempts to get there. That was precisely the point. Stokes and the Valkyries’ interior defence made sure that virtually every basket came at a high cost.

Valkyries’ Defense Holds Aces to Season-Low 60 Points

Golden State’s offence deserved significant credit, but the defence was arguably the biggest reason the Valkyries pulled away and stayed ahead. The Aces entered the semifinals as a team fully capable of scoring in a hurry. But then, they were held to just 60 points, their lowest total of the entire season.

They shot only 33.9 percent from the field, struggling to generate any consistent offensive rhythm from start to finish. Even when Wilson found ways to score, the Golden State Valkyries made the Aces work for every single possession. And when the Aces made several pushes to get back into the game, Golden State’s perimeter pressure, interior physicality, and ability to close defensive possessions with rebounds prevented them from ever producing the kind of sustained offence that could have changed the result.

A’ja Wilson Gets 24 Points but Struggles to Find Her Rhythm

A’ja Wilson’s 24-point night looks respectable on the surface. The numbers underneath tell a different story. She shot just 8-of-21 from the field, repeatedly forced into difficult, contested attempts by a Golden State defence that committed to making her earn everything. Stokes’ rim protection was particularly disruptive around the basket, while the Valkyries’ overall physical approach denied Wilson the clean looks and easy positioning she typically demands.

Wilson did find some success in the third and fourth quarters, but by then, Golden State had built enough of a cushion to absorb the Aces’ momentum without losing control of the game. A 24-point performance on 21 attempts is not the A’ja Wilson that wins championships. The Valkyries know that, and they made sure she knew it too.

Jewell Loyd’s Injury Adds to Aces’ Growing Problems

The Aces were already working with a relatively thin rotation, and things became more complicated when Jewell Loyd’s night was disrupted. She could not find her offensive rhythm, finishing without a point after going 0-of-2 from the field, and she was eventually forced out of the game entirely with a left-leg injury that further limited Las Vegas’ options.

Her absence was particularly significant because the Aces needed additional perimeter production with Golden State making life so difficult for Wilson inside. Instead, Las Vegas increasingly had to rely on Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young to carry the full offensive burden. 

Gray ended up finishing with 16 points while Young added 11, but the Aces could not generate enough scoring beyond their primary contributors to threaten Golden State’s lead consistently. With the Valkyries already holding a meaningful depth advantage, losing another offensive piece only compounded an already difficult situation.

Golden State Finally Flips the Script After 0-3 Regular-Season Sweep

Perhaps the most satisfying element of Sunday’s victory for Golden State was that it came against the very team that had given them so much trouble all season. The Aces had swept the regular-season series 3-0, winning by 10 in May, five in June, and 19 in their final meeting. 

That history made the result even more significant. Golden State did not simply squeak past Las Vegas in a scrappy playoff game. They controlled the boards, suffocated the offence, and won the game in the areas where the Aces had previously dominated them.

The Valkyries now have something they did not have entering the series, a win over Las Vegas when everything is on the line. And more importantly, a 1-0 lead in a best-of-five that the Aces will now need to fight back in.

Becky Hammon’s Brutally Honest Assessment of Aces’ Performance

Becky Hammon did not attempt to dress up what went wrong. Her assessment of the overall performance was blunt and unsparing. 

“We played like ass and only lost by 10. Dissect that however you want,” she said.

There is, however, an element of optimism embedded in that comment. The way Hammon sees it, the Aces played as poorly as they possibly could, and the margin was still only ten points. 

And so, if they clean up the rebounding and shoot closer to their standard in Game 2, the series picture could look very different on Wednesday night. That is the belief the Aces will be carrying into the next game.

Valkyries’ Bench Depth Exposes Aces’ Thin Rotation

The difference in bench production was another factor too significant to overlook. Golden State’s reserves combined for 27 points, while Las Vegas’ bench managed only seven. Once the game became a sustained physical battle, the Valkyries were able to rotate players in and out without sacrificing intensity. Chen provided scoring, Gueye brought energy and defensive production, and other reserves contributed in smaller but meaningful ways throughout.

Las Vegas, by contrast, needed its starters to carry a far heavier burden, a situation that became increasingly obvious as the game wore on. The Aces had fewer reliable options to turn to whenever Wilson, Gray, or Young were not producing. 

Golden State could afford to give its stars brief periods of rest and still maintain pressure. The Aces could not. In a semifinal series where every possession carries weight, that depth advantage could prove to be one of the most consequential edges Golden State takes into Game 2.