Mental mistakes – Gabby Williams hit a key triple as the Golden State Valkyries led 76-72 with 3:04 left, but a string of errors—fouls, missed shots, and a late sideline decision—swinged the game as the Valkyries fell 84-79 to the Las Vegas Aces. Star forward Williams finished
The Valkyries walked out of Las Vegas frustrated. and it showed—body language. short post-game answers. and coach Natalie Nakase’s blunt assessment afterward. Their narrow 84-79 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces wasn’t just a loss. It was the way it happened. with self-inflicted mistakes down the stretch costing them their first losing streak and leaving them 0-2 on the road trip.
“Just mental mistakes,” Thornton said when asked what went wrong down the stretch. “We had a great momentum… in the fourth quarter, and we just allowed the little things to kind of distract us. We have to be better at that.”
Golden State had its opening to close the game. It held a 76-72 four-point lead with 3:04 left after a Gabby Williams triple. Williams finished with 27 points, but the sequence that followed came apart fast—helped along by the Aces and made worse by Golden State’s own missteps.
Thornton fouled Jackie Young on a reckless deep closeout, sending Young to the free-throw line for three attempts. On the next possession, Janelle Salaun and Thornton missed makable jumpers. Veronica Burton—listed as an 83.7% free throw shooter—then missed a free throw that would have tied the game.
With the Valkyries down three and one last chance to tie the game on a sideline out-of-bounds play, Tiffany Hayes missed a wide-open Gabby Williams at the arc. Hayes instead passed the ball to Salaun for a contested triple in the corner. The shot clanked off the rim.
There were still moments of toughness on both sides that decided stretches of the game. Williams hit a clutch pull-up, and Burton finished a tough And-1 layup. Golden State also had to contend with how difficult it is to overcome A’ja Wilson and Young in the clutch. with Young drilling a deadeye triple with Salaun in her face to take a two-point lead.
But it was the Valkyries’ clutch mistakes that stacked up more than Las Vegas’s.
Nakase didn’t try to make the loss about a single stretch, either. After the losses to Minnesota and Vegas, she said Golden State was facing “great talent” and “great, experienced teams that have a lot of heavy minutes in the playoffs.” She insisted she was proud of her group.
“After both losses with Minnesota and Vegas, we’re facing great talent. Great, experienced teams that have a lot of heavy minutes in the playoffs. And so honestly, I am really proud of our team,” Nakase said. “I told them, even after the Minnesota game, we are progressing in the right direction. We’re building a great outlook in terms of our minutes and understanding the importance of every possession.”.
Nakase attributed the defeat more to the rough first quarter than to the specific errors that came late, and she emphasized that the team needs to treat every possession with care.
The loss also underlined a familiar struggle for this version of Golden State. One night, the Valkyries can look like world beaters. Another night, they’re left searching for answers.
Wilson and Young were a reminder of why the WNBA is so often shaped by star power—two players you can design an offense around and get buckets from. For the Valkyries. Williams can be that kind of offensive engine at times. but too often the team leans on 3-point variance. transition opportunities. and a strength-in-numbers approach to scoring. That leaves them still hunting for a consistent secondary scorer to take pressure off when the defense locks in.
There’s also the question of depth, especially at center. Nakase has been willing to go small-ball. abandoning backup center Laeticia Amihere and opting for Thornton and Salaun in the front court. Kiah Stokes. even with solid defensive work. can’t play all 40 minutes. and even then the matchup limits have shown up—moments in this game where Nakase chose small-ball over Stokes.
All of it leaves Golden State at 6-5 on the season. For Nakase, the record sits between ceiling and floor.
“I rate us as we’re building in the right direction. ” Nakase said when asked to evaluate her team a quarter of the way through the season. “But what I love in that group– in that locker room after was disappointment. But also they’re owning, and they’re holding each other to accountability of like, we’re going to get better.”.
That correction starts in the film room, Nakase said, with Thornton and Williams set to revisit the mental mistakes that burned them against the Aces. For now, it’s about turning the page quickly because the schedule doesn’t wait.
“We just got to stay together,” Thornton concluded. “We’ve got to go back and watch the film like Gabby said, and fix the things that we need to. It’s a long season, and just move on to the next game.”
Golden State Valkyries Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson Jackie Young Gabby Williams Veronica Burton Tiffany Hayes Janelle Salaun Natalie Nakase WNBA
Mental mistakes sounds like an excuse, just say they didn’t want it.
Why would you foul on that closeout?? Like cmon. Also that missed free throw when they literally had a chance to tie is brutal.
Wait so they led with like 3 minutes left and then just kinda… handed it over? I didn’t even realize basketball had “sideline decisions” that matter that much lol. But if the coach said mental mistakes then I guess it’s on them.
I swear the Aces always get free throws in games like this, it’s like the refs just choose the ending. And that last play where it’s “wide open” Williams?? why didn’t she get it first instead of that corner pass thing. Sounds like bad play design too, not just “mental.”