The Golden State Valkyries surrendered a 17-point lead in their 75-74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx at the SAP Center on Wednesday. The Valkyries were outscored 26-11 in the fourth quarter, but after forcing a shot clock violation with 4.0 seconds left, they still had a chance to win but were unable to convert a potential game-winning jumper. Napheesa Collier led all scorers with 24 points, including the go-ahead bucket for the Lynx. The Valkyries had four players scored in double figures, led by Monique Billings' 15 points off the bench.

ANOTHER STRONG SHOOTING START
For the second consecutive game in this series, the Valkyries outscored the Lynx by eight points in the first quarter and hit five 3-pointers in the frame. The WNBA's 2025 Most Improved Player, Veronica Burton, again accounted for two of those 3-pointers. Golden State shot 5-for-6 from behind the arc in the quarter, while simultaneously holding Minnesota to just 2-for-8 from distance. Feeding off the passionate Ballhalla crowd, the Valkyries hoped that they could sustain their momentum and make Wednesday's final result different than their Game 1 defeat in Minnesota.

Golden State's second-quarter performance in Game 2 was far better than in Game 1 — they won the period 14-9, including an 11-2 run, after being outscored by 14 points in the first game. The Valkyries held the Lynx, who held the WNBA's top 3-point percentage in the regular season (37.8 3PT%), without a made 3-pointer in the second quarter (0-for-5). Napheesa Collier had a game-high 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting at halftime but Valkyries' standout rookie Janelle Salaün wasn't far behind, scoring nine points on 3-for-4 shooting.

The Valkyries expanded their lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but the Lynx slowly chipped away, using an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to 10 and opening the fourth quarter on an 11-0 spurt to pull within three. Former Lynx forward Cecilia Zandalasini ended the nearly four-minute scoring drought with a pull-up mid-range jumper, which Kaila Charles followed up with a corner three that helped Golden State regain some distance. Ultimately, another Lynx run, this time 11-2, was too much to overcome.

BILLINGS A GAME CHANGER
One of Coach Nakase's Game 2 adjustments was going deeper into her bench, in particular giving an extended run to forward Monique Billings. Billings played just four minutes and went scoreless in Game 1, but her impact was felt on both ends of the floor in Game 2 as she finished with a team-high 15 points, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 25 minutes of action. At 6'4, Billings is one of the Valkyries' tallest and toughest players, always willing to put her body on the line to make the extra effort play. She also has a knack for momentum-shifting moments, highlighted by an and-1 bucket in the third quarter.

NAKASE AND BURTON RECEIVE THEIR 2025 WNBA AWARDS
As two integral reasons why the Valkyries were hosting their first-ever playoff game on Wednesday, Head Coach Natalie Nakase and guard Veronica Burton received their 2025 WNBA awards before Game 2. Nakase was named Coach of the Year, winning 23 games in her first-ever season in the role. She received 53 of 72 first-place votes. Burton was awarded the Most Improved Player honor, becoming the first player in WNBA history to increase her averages by at least five points, two rebounds and two assists per game from one season to the next. Burton led the Valkyries in total points (525), rebounds (192), assists (265), steals (50) and blocks (27) as the only WNBA player this season to accomplish that feat. She received 68 of 72 first-place votes.

UP NEXT
An impressive and historic inaugural season has concluded for the Valkyries. Check out a timeline of all their most notable accomplishments in 2025. Valkyries fans can tune into the remainder of the WNBA Playoffs as all of the other three series will have a win-or-go-home Game 3, which will determine the other three teams to join the Lynx in the semifinals.