Nakase blames – For the first time all season, the Golden State Valkyries looked helpless at home, losing 91-81 to the Las Vegas Aces. A’ja Wilson put on a full-body performance—28 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks—while Golden State’s inability to contain her on the board
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries had their worst feeling of the season early, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the answer was plain. For the first time all season, they looked helpless in their own building, falling to the Las Vegas Aces 91-81.
A’ja Wilson did the heavy lifting that night. dismantling the Valkyries’ defense en route to 28 points. 15 rebounds. and four blocks. But the most burning issue afterward wasn’t just Wilson’s scoring—it was the work on the glass. Golden State was out-rebounded 45-33. and head coach Natalie Nakase left the court with one message as clear as the mismatch in the box score.
“We want to hit bodies first, as the shot goes up,” Nakase explained. “I think we can show it, we can practice it, but when we’re actually going against A’ja Wilson, who’s really quick, she has this quick reflex, we got to stay on top of it.”
She shook her head as she returned to the statsheet.
“[Wilson] having five offensive rebounds, that was definitely not the game plan. So again, attention to detail on the game plan, we just did not execute.”
Still. the blame isn’t as simple as “game plan” versus “talent.” With the Valkyries carrying only two true centers—Kiah Stokes and Laeticia Amihere—Golden State had to lean on Kayla Thornton and Janelle Salaun at times to slow Wilson down. Thornton’s versatility helps her on defense, but the size mismatch became difficult to overcome across long stretches. The same problem showed up with Salaun and with Amihere. When Wilson found her rhythm. she attacked offensive rebounds the way she wanted them—playing hot potato from the offensive boards whenever Stokes needed a rest. trucking through help trying to stop her in the pick-and-roll. and elevating over the double team for a perfect middy.
Nakase connected it directly to the way the Valkyries fight.
“Our fight, and that was something we know we rely on our defense. It starts there, so we just have to make sure we stay on top of it.”
One bright pocket of resistance came late from rookie Juste Jocyte. She stepped onto the court and delivered an immediate lift—nailing a triple on the wing and then finding Gabby Williams for her own three after checking in. The sparks rolled into an 11-0 run.
The problem was timing. That run arrived with 5:29 left in the game, when Golden State was already down 20. After that brief surge, Jocyte rode the bench for the rest of the competitive night.
The question hung in the air: why would a rookie who looked ready be pulled back right when the game still mattered?
Nakase answered it with the workload that comes with easing a player into the rotation. “She’s still four practices in so far, still letting her body adjust,” Nakase said. “We had her actually play a couple more stay ready games in practice the other day. So we’re just easing her in. because again. if I throw her out there and then all of a sudden she goes down. I’m going to look in the mirror and be like. ‘what are you doing?’”.
Jocyte’s limited minutes in this one also came after the way she helped in Golden State’s 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever. In that earlier game. she played 16 of the 20 second-half minutes. a stretch that made it look like the Lithuanian rookie could begin carving out more space in the crowded rotation.
After the loss, the Valkyries still found something to build on—at the end, rookie Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda joined Jocyte in helping make the defeat more respectable, something Williams believes can carry forward.
“This is a long season,” Williams said. “Like I said before, our depth is going to be our strength.”
With the 91-81 result, Golden State dropped to 5-3 on the season. Their next step is waiting already: the Valkyries will face the Portland Fire for the final game of this three-game homestand.
Golden State Valkyries Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson Natalie Nakase Juste Jocyte Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda Gabby Williams Kiah Stokes Laeticia Amihere Kayla Thornton Janelle Salaun Portland Fire WNBA
So they lost cuz A’ja was better at rebounding? Seems obvious lol.
91-81 isn’t even that bad but they “looked helpless”?? Sounds like they didn’t want to fight on the boards. Also 45-33 rebounds is wild.
Wait Natalie Nakase said hit bodies first like that fixes everything? If Wilson has 5 offensive rebounds that’s on the defense collapsing right? I’m confused though, doesn’t Golden State have like… better centers? Maybe they forgot to play zone or something.
A’ja Wilson dominating like always and Golden State acting surprised… the quote about quick reflexes makes it sound like they practiced the wrong thing. But also head coach blame like “execution” is what they always say. Out-rebounded 45-33, and then the score is only 10 points so idk maybe the shots were fine but they kept giving second chances. Anyway I feel like this is gonna happen again if they don’t adjust their lineup size.