The Golden State Valkyries begin Commissioner's Cup play by hosting the Portland Fire at Chase Center on Tuesday. During the Commissioner's Cup, the Valkyries will play every team in their conference once, with the best-performing team in the Western Conference facing the top Eastern Conference team in the championship game. Golden State will welcome back one of its expansion draft standouts, Carla Leite, who the Fire selected in the most recent expansion draft. Leite has been one of the team's top scorers and playmakers in her second WNBA season. The first 10,000 fans in attendance for Tuesday's Commissioner’s Cup opener will receive Valkyries Sunglasses, presented by Coinbase. 

Valkyries vs. Fire
Tuesday, June 2 | Tipoff: 7 p.m.
WATCH: KPIX+ (Bay Area), KMAX (Sacramento)
LISTEN: 95.7 The Game, The Audacy App
BUY TICKETS

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden State Valkyries were outscored by 16 points in a game-altering third quarter in their 91-81 loss to the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center on Sunday. The game was neck-and-neck in the first half, but the Aces snatched all the momentum in the third quarter and never looked back. However, the Valkyries battled until the end, going on an 11-0 fourth-quarter run and pulling within single digits with less than a minute remaining. Gabby Williams and Kayla Thornton each made four 3-pointers as the Valkyries doubled up the Aces in made 3-pointers, 16-8. Williams finished with 20 points, Thornton added 12 points and Janelle Salaün paced all reserves with 16 points. Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson led the way for the Aces with a game-high 28 points and 15 rebounds, while All-Star Jackie Young chipped in 23 points and a game-best five 3-pointers. Las Vegas recorded eight blocks and weren’t blocked once on the other end, despite Golden State setting a WNBA record with 11 blocks in their previous outing. The Aces' defense was tenacious, holding the Valkyries to just 33.7 percent shooting from the field.  » Full Game Recap 

COMPELLING NOTE:
Valkyries: The Valkyries set the standard for an expansion WNBA team, setting a league record for wins in an inaugural season (23) and becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs. 

Fire: The Fire have drawn a lot of inspiration from the Valkyries' franchise-building success as an expansion team. Portland's General Manager, Vanja Černivec, previously served as Golden State’s Vice President of Basketball Operations. The Fire have had a strong start to the season, winning six of their first 10 games, including a three-game winning streak.