The Valkyries are right in the thick of the playoff race.
After Sunday’s win against the Dallas Wings, the expansion team sits in seventh place with a one-game lead over the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks and owns the tiebreaker over the eighth-place Indiana Fever. Golden State is a half-game behind the Seattle Storm for the sixth seed.
The Valkyries have been hit with the injury bug but stayed competitive over the last few weeks to keep their spot in the standings.
They have the toughest remaining schedule, per the Elias Sports Bureau, with games against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and the uber talented New York Liberty.
But the Valkyries are treating every game as a must win with not much room separating the bottom half of the standings.
“It’s coming down to playoff basketball,” Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton said. “So every win really matters and every game is super important, and I think we understand that.”
With seven games remaining, here are the Valkyries’ most important matchups:
Sunday, Aug. 31 vs. Indiana Fever, 5:30 p.m.
The Valkyries already locked up the season series against Indiana, but Sunday’s game will be vitally important with both teams having identical records as of Sunday night.
Much like the Valkyries, the Fever have been ravaged by injuries to their star players.
Superstar point guard Caitlin Clark has participated in team shootarounds, but has yet to practice with the team. Guards Sophie Cunningham (knee), Sydney Colson (knee) and Aari McDonald are out for the remainder of the season.
The Valkyries haven’t had trouble putting the Fever away in their previous two matchups, beating Indiana by an average of 15 points.
A sweep of the Fever could prove crucial for the Valkyries to move up from the bottom of the playoff standings.
Golden State Valkyries’ Stephanie Talbot (7) guards Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) in the second quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Tuesday, Sept. 2 vs. New York Liberty, 7 p.m.
This game will serve as a litmus test for the Valkyries as they have struggled to beat the league’s top teams, including the Liberty.
The Liberty have slid since their hot start to the season, but are still just as formidable with Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu running the show along with perennial All-Star Breanna Stewart, last year’s Finals MVP, Jonquel Jones and all-around post player Emma Meesseman.
The Liberty dominated the Valkyries in their first matchup of the season, but the next two were much more competitive with Golden State hanging in until the final few possessions.
The Valkyries are three games behind the fifth-place Liberty in the standings, and while catching the defending champs will be a tall task, a win could put them in position to do so.
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton #22 looks to pass as she’s guarded by New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu #20 in the fourth quarter of their WNBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Tuesday Sept. 9 at Seattle Storm, 7 p.m.
This could be the biggest game of the year for the Valkyries should they still be in the playoff hunt at this point.
Golden State currently holds a 2-1 series lead over the Storm, but a win here would seal the tiebreaker for the Valkyries.
The first two games the Valkyries played against Seattle were at home and the expansion team looked utterly dominant. But the Storm got revenge right before the All-Star break, holding the Valkyries to their lowest point total of the season with a healthy Kayla Thornton on the floor for Golden State.
Seattle has also changed since that game, adding dynamic scoring guard Brittney Sykes at the trade deadline. The Storm have fallen down the standings, opening August with a six-game losing streak. But the Nneka Ogwumike-led squad has been better as of late, winning four of its last five games.
The Valkyries have shown they could match up well without Storm’s paint attack, but a loss here could prove crucial as the teams are neck-and-neck in the standings.
Veronica Burton of the Golden State Valkyries emotes after a call in the second half against the Seattle Storm at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)
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Saturday, Sept. 6 vs. Minnesota Lynx, Thursday, Sept. 11 at Minnesota Lynx
Two of the Valkyries’ last three games will be against the league-best Lynx.
Minnesota has been cruising through the season, having already clinched a playoff spot and close to securing the top seed.
Golden State should be hoping Minnesota clinches the top seed sooner rather than later.
Should the Lynx have the No. 1 seed by the time they see the Valkyries, there is a good chance Minnesota will sit many of its key starters, including MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.
The Lynx have won both games against the Valkyries by 11 points with Collier averaging 23 points and 8.5 rebounds in the wins.
By this time, the Valkyries should have their full three-center rotation of Temi Fágbénlé, Iliana Rupert and Monique Billings available to handle Minnesota’s size.
Health could also play a factor in the Valkyries season finale on Sept. 11. If Golden State clinches a playoff spot by then, the Valkyries can also rest major starters as the playoffs will begin three days later.
Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier (24) dribbles against Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)