Kiah Stokes was back Monday, and the Golden State Valkyries were one win away from locking up a place in the WNBA playoff bracket. After missing one game with a concussion, Stokes was off the injury report as Golden State prepared to face the Dallas Wings with a postseason berth within reach.
The timing mattered because Golden State entered the night second in the league standings at 24-9 and could clinch a playoff spot with a win. Portland had already beaten Phoenix 88-85 on Sunday night, so the Valkyries no longer needed only their own result to do the job. One more win would be enough, but so would a Portland loss, and Monday gave them a chance to settle it themselves.
Stokes’ return restored a key piece of the Valkyries’ defense. Natalie Nakase has pointed to her voice, leadership and rim protection as central to how Golden State plays, and that showed in the gap her absence created last Wednesday. Golden State beat Chicago 91-71 without Stokes or Janelle Salaün, and Ashten Prechtel logged significant minutes while Laeticia Amihere started in their place.
The matchup also put Paige Bueckers back in the spotlight. Dallas’ star is averaging 20.5 points per game this season, but she has not reached that number against Golden State, and she was a minus-17 in her last game against the Valkyries in Dallas. She scored nine points in a game against Golden State last August, when Kelsey Plum had four points in San Francisco against the same defense.
That is why Stokes’ return mattered beyond one box score. The Valkyries have built their surge on a disciplined scheme that makes clean looks hard to find, and Dallas was walking into a game with a playoff place hanging over it. Veronica Burton said the group had not really talked about clinching, but the standings made the situation plain: Golden State could secure its first trip to the eight-team playoff bracket by beating Dallas on Monday night. If not, it would still be alive, but the simplest path was in front of it, with Stokes back in the middle of it.
