Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaun were ruled out Friday night as the Golden State Valkyries hosted the Portland Fire in their first game back after the WNBA's break for the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Golden State entered at 29-11, while Portland came in at 16-25.
The injury report left Golden State with four players listed and gave Portland at least one familiar name back. Carla Leite was off the report and expected to return after missing the last two games, while Megan DiLeo was also expected back after sitting out Thursday with a finger injury.
The matchup mattered because Golden State was trying to stretch a four-game winning streak into five, and the timing did not make the task any easier. Williams and Salaun were both out because of reconditioning, and Cecilia Zandalasini was still listed as questionable, leaving the Valkyries to open the second half of the schedule without a full rotation.
Portland arrived with its own strain. Bridget Carleton was ruled out with a left ankle injury, Teja Oblak was out with a left knee injury, and Sania Feagin, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Luisa Geiselsoder were already set to miss the remainder of the season. That was after Portland had lost at home to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night, when Emily Engstler scored 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists and Holly Winterburn added 18 points and three rebounds off the bench.
Golden State had already beaten Portland on the road on Aug. 30, when Tiffany Hayes scored 18 points with six rebounds and three assists and Kayla Thornton added 17 points, two rebounds and two assists. Friday offered a different test: the same opponent, the same break in the schedule, but a shorter bench and a cleaner read on how much the Valkyries could absorb before the season resumed in earnest.
The unanswered piece is whether Zandalasini would be available by tipoff. For Golden State, that decision was the last one that could change the shape of a game already defined by who would not be on the floor.
