The Golden State Valkyries host the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night in a meeting that matches the WNBA’s top two teams and brings an immediate test of the league’s early balance of power. Minnesota has already beaten Golden State twice this season, and the Lynx arrive with the cleaner recent form.
That is why this game is drawing attention now. The Lynx have won four straight and have lost only once in their last 15 contests, while that lone defeat came at home against the Sparks. Golden State has also surged, riding a six-game winning streak after beating Dallas 78-70 on Monday.
The numbers behind the season series make Minnesota’s edge look more deliberate than lucky. The Lynx have taken both meetings against Golden State by a combined nine points, which means the margin across two games has averaged out to a narrow game but still enough to leave the Valkyries chasing. Golden State has been steady enough to stay in the race, but Minnesota has already shown it can finish these matchups better in the final stretch.
Natasha Howard is part of the reason the Lynx keep finding ways through close games. She has scored at least 12 points in each of her last four games and in five of six games this month, while averaging 15.1 points per game this season. She has gone over 11.5 points in 27 of her 36 games overall, and she reached 12 points in two of the last three meetings against Golden State.
Golden State, though, is not arriving as a soft landing spot. The Valkyries have allowed 78 points or fewer in four straight contests and have gone under the total in three straight games, a sign that their recent run has been built on control at the defensive end. That creates the clearest friction in Wednesday’s matchup: Minnesota has already solved Golden State twice, but the Valkyries are now playing their best basketball of the season.
What happens next is straightforward. The winner leaves Wednesday night with a stronger hold on the top tier of the WNBA, and Minnesota will try to turn a season sweep into a larger statement while Golden State looks for the first answer it has not yet found.
