{"id":7105,"date":"2026-08-18T06:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7105"},"modified":"2026-08-18T06:07:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:07:00","slug":"valkyries-get-salaun-stokes-back-as-they-look-to-clinch-playoff-spot-slow-paige-bueckers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7105","title":{"rendered":"Valkyries get Sala\u00fcn, Stokes back as they look to clinch playoff spot, slow Paige Bueckers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The Valkyries didn\u2019t need Janelle Sala\u00fcn or Kiah Stokes to wallop the Chicago Sky last Wednesday, but their Monday matchup with the Dallas Wings saw both return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more San Jose man arrested in connection with June shooting<\/a><\/p>\n

Without its top bench player and starting center, Golden State beat Chicago 91-71 as Sala\u00fcn sat with right knee soreness and Stokes missed the game with a concussion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stokes was off the injury report as of Monday, and Sala\u00fcn was listed as questionable but looked to be a full participant in practice on Monday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both players missed only one game, which created an opportunity for developmental player Ashten Prechtel to play significant minutes and reserve forward Laeticia Amihere to start.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while she was happy other players got their chance to shine, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was thrilled to have her centerpiece in the paint back in the fold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cKiah has been obviously someone who\u2019s been available every single game. That\u2019s huge for us in terms of being professional, emptying the tank, but also recovering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo for us, having Kiah, her voice, her leadership, her defensive rim protection, anchor everything is very important, and then obviously her knowledge in terms of picking on certain matchups and things like that offensively.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Golden State will have a chance to clinch a playoff spot Monday night with a win, an achievement they were denied when Portland, the ninth-best team in the WNBA standings, beat Phoenix 88-85 on Sunday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Valkyries entered Monday second in the league standings with a record of 24-9, with just one win or a Portland loss needed to clinch a spot in the eight-team playoff bracket.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Brush fire scorches 16 acres in the Altamont Pass<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t even really talked about what this game could mean in terms of clinching,\u201d point guard Veronica Burton said. \u201cMaybe there\u2019s an awareness for some people. Maybe there\u2019s no awareness at all for others. More of the focus is just how can we get better? Honestly, we haven\u2019t had a conversation about that yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to clinch, Golden State is tasked with slowing down Dallas superstar Paige Bueckers, who has had to work hard for her points against the Valkyries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bueckers, who averages 20.5 points per game this season, has been held under that mark both times. In her last game against the Valks in Dallas, Bueckers was a minus-17 during her time on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Golden State\u2019s stellar defense has quickly developed a reputation for being a nuisance against top guards in particular. Bueckers was held to nine points in a game against the Valkyries last August, and Kelsey Plum \u2013 a trade target for the Valks at the deadline \u2013 had four points in San Francisco last August.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re extremely disciplined, very well coached,\u201d Bueckers said. \u201cSo they have a game plan and a scheme and identity on both sides of the floor, and they\u2019re really disciplined in their execution on both sides, and they just play as a string.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNobody\u2019s ever on an island. They\u2019re always helping. They\u2019re always communicating. They\u2019re always in scramble mode. They\u2019re always connected defensively. So it\u2019s tough to get any easy and clean looks on them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe to our special Valkyries newsletter for game analysis, scores, and everything you want to know about the team from Ballhalla.<\/p>\n

Read more Valkyries clinch playoff spot with win over Dallas, returning to postseason in second year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Golden State Valkyries got two key players back on the court ahead of a game against the Dallas Wings with playoff implications<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nValkyries get Sala\u00fcn, Stokes back as they look to clinch playoff spot, slow Paige Bueckers - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7105\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Valkyries get Sala\u00fcn, Stokes back as they look to clinch playoff spot, slow Paige Bueckers - 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