The Valkyries didn't sneak into this one. Dallas came in with Paige Bueckers doing Paige Bueckers things all night, and Golden State still slammed the door 78-70 to punch its ticket to the 2026 WNBA postseason. It's the franchise's sixth straight win, pushing its record to 25-9, and it means an expansion team that didn't exist two years ago has now made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons — something no expansion club in league history had ever done.
Bueckers gave Golden State every reason to sweat. She was getting to her spots all game, including a smooth finish through traffic that had the ClutchPoints cameras rolling.
Paige Bueckers with the SMOOTH handle for the finish 😮💨 https://t.co/KN0lZgKdHt
But the shot of the night belonged to Golden State. Tiffany Hayes pulled up from the WNBA logo at the buzzer to end the first quarter, a heat-check heave that had the building — and the Warriors bench watching courtside — completely losing it.
TIFFANY. HAYES. 😳 WHAT A SHOT TO END THE 1Q! Golden State going for their sixth straight win on NBCSN and Peacock! https://t.co/ucfnn6uVS2
That's not hyperbole about the reaction, either — Steph Curry himself was in the building with his son Canon, part of another sold-out Chase Center crowd, and the shot reportedly left him and Gary Payton in disbelief. Hayes finished with 10 points on the night, and Gabby Williams did the heavy lifting with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals to key the win.
Steph, Canon and the Warriors in the house supporting the Valkyries tonight ‼️
It's worth sitting with what this franchise has actually pulled off. Golden State was the WNBA's first expansion team since 2008, built out of an 11-player expansion draft in the winter of 2024. Most new teams spend their first couple of seasons getting steamrolled while they figure out an identity. The Valkyries sold out all 22 home games in their debut year, made the playoffs as rookies, and now they've done it again — a feat literally no expansion team in league history had matched until this week.
Williams, for her part, sounded like someone who saw this coming from the jump. "I knew we were going to do it since I got here, but I didn't expect us to do it this way, have this much fun," she said after the win. "Every game I go into, I have zero doubt."
Gabby Williams shares what the Valkyries’ playoff berth means to her 🗣️ “I'm more excited just about how we've done it more than us doing it. I knew we were going to do it since I got here, but I didn't expect us to do it this way, have this much fun. Every game I go into, I have zero doubt." (via @kenzofuku)
The Wings, meanwhile, are left to lean on Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen down the stretch as they fight for their own postseason life. For Golden State, the standings barely matter right now — the story is that a two-year-old franchise has already built something that looks less like an expansion project and more like a contender with staying power.