Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries are closing in on a fresh, playoff-grade rivalry after two hard-fought games in a week—one sparked by Caitlin Clark’s foul-filled fire, the other swung by Veronica Burton’s big night and a suffocating defensive finish.
Everybody circle July 15. It’s the third and final regular-season matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Golden State Valkyries, and the hope around those games is simple: meet again in the WNBA playoffs.
The Fever entered this latest stretch at 4-3 and already had two meetings with the Valkyries in the past week—both played with postseason intensity. Last Friday, Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark turned up the heat on the way to Indiana’s 90-82 win. She went on a trash-talking spree and picked up flagrant and technical fouls in the process.
Then came revenge.
Last night, Golden State bounced back for a 90-88 victory. Clark still contributed—she dished her 500th career assist—but the night didn’t belong to her in the scoring column. She finished with a season-low 16 points while shooting 25% from the floor. The Valkyries didn’t just hang on defensively; they controlled the paint. They blocked 11 shots, and Veronica Burton took over offensively with a season-high 25 points, adding five of the team’s 11 blocks.
The game drew 18,064 fans at “Ballhalla,” and afterward, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was asked whether Fever-Valkyries can be considered the WNBA’s newest rivalry.
“Everyone’s a rival in my eyes,” Nakase said, per Madisyn Cunningham.
She kept pushing the idea that intensity is the product, not a side effect.
“I mean, I think that’s a good thing. I think it’s great that everyone comes, whether it’s Indiana, and now we have Vegas coming up, y’all, keep coming. I want it loud. The boos and the cheers and the ups and the downs. Shoot, we want all 14 rivals. That would be great, because then that builds that type of — you guys felt a little different, right?. That just helps us build and prepare for the long season,” Nakase continued.
It’s a philosophy that has already helped put the Valkyries on fast-forward. The team is the most instantly successful expansion franchise in WNBA history. In 2025. the Valkyries went 23-21. became the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season. and set all-time attendance records along the way.
Still, the biggest test is still ahead.
The Valkyries will try to win their first-ever playoff series this season. but they have to earn the chance to do it again—because right now. September is a promise they haven’t reached yet. Next up. they’ll host the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces on Sunday afternoon. in a matchup that comes right after this surge over the Fever.
Indiana Fever Golden State Valkyries Caitlin Clark Veronica Burton WNBA rivalry Ballhalla flagrant foul technical foul Las Vegas Aces WNBA playoffs