In what could be considered one of the most anticipated matchups in the playoffs so far, the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries will face off against the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals after both teams survived the best-of-three first round series. The Valkyries and Aces each came out on top in three games, with Golden State taking down the Dallas Wings 77-73 in comeback fashion in Game 3 and Las Vegas defeating the Indiana Fever 94-83 in Game 3.
With the No. 1 seed in the 2026 WNBA playoffs, the Minnesota Lynx, already knocked out of contention, Golden State and Las Vegas are the two highest seeds remaining, but only one can advance to the WNBA Finals. The Valkyries have home-court advantage in Games 1 and 2 and a thundering presence from Ballhalla, while the Aces bring to this matchup more Finals experience than ever, leading to what should be an extremely competitive series.
Series Schedule:
Game One: Chase Center – Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:00 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Game Two: Chase Center – Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Network/Peacock)
Game Three: Michelob ULTRA Arena– Friday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Network/Peacock)
Game Four (if necessary): Michelob ULTRA Arena – Sunday, Oct. 11 at TBD (NBC/Peacock)
Game Five (if necessary): Chase Center – Wednesday, Oct. 14 at TBD (NBC Sports Network/Peacock)
Series-Defining Matchups
There’s no way around it, Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson will be the toughest opponent to guard and limit for Golden State in this series. The frontrunner once again for MVP this season, Wilson averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. An elite producer on both ends of the court, Wilson terrorizes opponents any time she’s on the court and requires the entirety of the defense’s attention. For the Aces, this attention on Wilson is great because not only must opponents try to limit her, but they have to keep in mind who else is on the court. Alongside Wilson, Las Vegas has two of the best guards in the league: Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. Two multi-time All-Stars, Gray and Young are the perfect pieces around Wilson in that they can enhance Wilson’s play, but also create and dominate on their own. And this is evident through the three championships that this trio has won in just four seasons.
While it may seem nearly impossible to stop Wilson, Gray, and Young, one thing that the Valkyries have is strength in numbers. Finishing the regular season with the best defensive rating in the league (99.1), Golden State is potentially the only team that has a true chance at stopping Wilson and the Aces. With a defense led primarily by All-Defensive talent Gabby Williams, the Valkyries have the pieces they need to not only compete with the Aces, but also make a legitimate case for themselves to advance to the WNBA Finals. Beyond its strengths defensively, Golden State’s depth gives it another advantage, with multiple players capable of stepping up and contributing when the starters need relief. Against a team as talented as Las Vegas, that ability to rely on production throughout the entire roster could be what keeps Golden State in the series.
Potential Game Changers
While the star power on both teams is undeniable, the supporting casts around these stars could ultimately change the way these teams match up and ultimately who will advance.
For the Valkyries, they have one of the deepest teams in the league and an impressive bench led by Janelle Salaün, one of the frontrunners for Sixth Player of the Year. Coming off the bench, Salaün is second in scoring for Golden State with 12.7 points per game. Alongside Salaün’s spark off the bench, Tiffany Hayes is also one for the Valkyries that could change the trajectory of this series. Crucial in Golden State’s Game 3 victory in the first round to advance past Dallas, Hayes gave the Valkyries another scoring option when it mattered most, contributing 18 points of her own. If Hayes is on the mark offensively — especially from three — she could quickly become a game changer. The same can be said for Salaün, whose ability to knock down threes, score efficiently, and make an impact on defense could give Golden State the extra push it needs against Las Vegas.
For the Aces, the two go-to options aside from Wilson are Gray and Young. Gray plays a unique role on not just this Las Vegas roster, but also in this series in that she brings so much veteran experience to lead the Aces coming into a crucial point of the postseason. Not only that, but Gray also contributes tremendously through her insane playmaking and ability to control the pace of the game. Alongside Playoff Gray, Young adds dynamic scoring and ability to contribute on all levels. Just as well-rounded as Young’s scoring is, her ability to also rebound and distribute is key to finding success for her teammates. Overall for Las Vegas, its success in this series will not only come down to how the Aces Big Three performs, but ultimately how they stick together in crunch time, just as they did in the first round against Indiana.
Matchup Outlook and Predictions
Looking into this series, both the Aces and Valkyries come into this matchup with momentum after taking commanding Game 3 wins in the first round. In Game 3 against Dallas, Golden State proved its resilience after coming back from a 16-point deficit and ultimately taking the victory. On the other side, Las Vegas controlled the entirety of Game 3 against Indiana and it never let the Fever’s lead reach double-digits. Now, these two teams with the highest seeds remaining meet, with a spot in the WNBA Finals on the line. One team will advance, and unfortunately, one team’s season will end after this series.
Reflecting on the regular season matchups between Las Vegas and Golden State, it was one-sided. The Aces won all three of their regular season meetings, dominated by Las Vegas’ Big Three of Wilson, Gray, and Young. Golden State will try to limit any form of contribution from each of them to ensure that they have a chance, and it will have to do so by trying to find a way to disrupt Las Vegas’ groove — but the Valkyries’ league-leading defense and depth gives them a real chance to do so. If Golden State can limit the Las Vegas’ Big Three while getting consistent production from its bench, it has everything it needs to make this a competitive series to say the least.
Ultimately, the Aces have more playoff experience than ever and, while that counts for something, the Valkyries have been on the rise as one of the best teams in the league in just their second season. After both teams needed three games to survive the first round, this best-of-five series could be a close one. While the possibilities are endless and a sweep is possible, the competitiveness and overall skill across both teams could push this series to five games.
