How ‘mental mistakes’ doomed Valkyries in narrow loss to A’ja Wilson, Aces

The Golden State Valkyries’ disappointment was palpable in the wake of their narrow 84-79 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces. 

Whether it was in their body language, their short post-game answers, or coach Natalie Nakase outright expressing it, the Valkyries walked out of Las Vegas with some genuine frustration at how their self-inflicted errors cost them their first losing streak to make for an 0-2 road trip.

“Just mental mistakes,” a solemn 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.”

To recap, Golden State held a 76-72 four-point lead with 3:04 left in the game after a Gabby William triple, with the Valkyries’ star forward finishing with 27 points on the day. Then the missteps came.

Thornton fouled Jackie Young on a reckless deep closeout to give the Aces guard three free throws. Then Janelle Salaun and Thornton miss makable jumpers on the same possession. Then Veronica Burton, an 83.7% free throw shooter, misses a free throw that would have tied the game.

And to top it off, on a sideline out-of-bounds down three with one last chance to tie the game, Tiffany Hayes missed Gabby Williams wide open at the arc and instead passed the ball to Salaun for a contested triple in the corner that clanked off the rim.

Sure, there were heroics on both sides that also decided the game. Williams had a clutch pull-up, and Burton finished a tough And-1 layup. Not to mention, how hard it is to overcome A’ja Wilson and Young in the clutch, with the latter nailing a deadeye triple with Salaun in her face to take a two-point lead.

But the Valkyries made more mistakes in the clutch than the Aces, and that proved to be the difference.

The flaws in the Valkyries as currently constructed

However, despite looking as frustrated and disappointed as Williams and Thornton at the post-game podium, their coach expressed a different tone.

“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 expressed. “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, who spoke with pride in her team, attributed the loss to the rough first quarter more so than the mistakes down the stretch, emphasizing that the Valkyries need to treat every possession with care and attention.

Still, this loss highlighted the flaws of this Golden State team that can look like world beaters on one night and searching for answers on another. Wilson and Young demonstrated why the WNBA is a star-driven league in this game. Two players you can design an offense around and can get buckets at will.

The Valkyries don’t quite have that.

Williams can be that for Golden State at times, but more often than not, the Valkyries are an offense that relies on 3-point variance, transition opportunities, and a strength-in-numbers approach to scoring. As a result, they are often still left searching for that secondary scorer to help carry the load.

Additionally, with Nakase abandoning backup center Laeticia Amihere and opting to go small-ball with Thornton and Salaun in the front court, it’s clear the Valkyries have a depth issue at center. Kiah Stokes, for as solid as she’s been defensively, can’t play all 40 minutes. And even then, she has her limits, which were demonstrated in Nakase opting to go with small-ball over Stokes at moments in this game.

Natalie Nakase’s takeaways at 6-5 on the season

All of that leaves Golden State at 6-5 on the season, a record that reflects their ceiling and their floor. For Nakase, she remains confident in where her team is headed. 

“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 will start in the film room, according to Nakase, Thornton, and Williams, as they look to solve the mental mistakes that burned them against the Aces. It’s a long way to go in the season, so for now, the Valkyries are turning the page to the next game.

“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.”

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