OAKLAND — With just a few games left in the regular season, the Valkyries can nearly set their sights on the WNBA playoffs.
Not quite yet, though.
Though the two-week break for the FIBA World Cup came while the Valkyries were on a four-game winning streak, Golden State (29-11) has an opportunity to regain some momentum heading into the postseason against some of the league’s worst teams not that the WNBA is in its home stretch.
After back-to-back home games against Portland (in ninth place at 16-26) and Seattle (in last place at 8-33) starting Friday night against the Fire, Golden State travels to Portland and Los Angeles (12th place, 15-26) to close out the regular season.
Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) scores a 3-point basket against Dallas Wings’ Alysha Clark (7) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Should the Valkyries finish with a strong closing kick, the No. 1 seed remains within reach. Golden State returned to action two games behind the Minnesota Lynx for the best record in the WNBA.
The Valkyries knocked off the Lynx 80-66 to kickstart their-winning streak, a watershed moment that snapped a nine-game losing streak to the team that swept Golden State out of last year’s playoffs.
Reintegrating Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini, all of whom exhausted themselves to various degrees competing for their countries at the World Cup, will be the task of the week ahead.
“We’re intentional with our planning,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “Our medical team does a great job. Understand, we have a back-to-back now. That’s not normal. So coming from a back-to-back, we simulated it in practice, just making sure everyone’s on the same page.
“We were prepared because we had the schedule set. It’s more important to see where we feel at the moment rather than ‘You should feel like this, you should do this.’ Let’s take a breather. Now we come together, and now we’re after a bigger goal.”
Golden State has already clinched a spot in the playoffs, which are just around the corner.
The Valkyries’ final regular season game is Thursday in Los Angeles, then the Valkyries start the first round of the playoffs-three days later at Chase Center against an as-of-now undetermined opponent.
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) is fouled by Toronto Tempo’s Kiki Rice (1) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
“We made the playoffs last year. We understand it’s a whole different piece,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “We understand what it’s like to lose in the playoffs, so that feeling, carrying that over, motivates us even more.”
Last season as an expansion team the Valkyries snuck into the postseason as the No. 8 seed before being swept by Minnesota.
Expectations are much higher this fall, with Golden State squarely in the top half of the league’s playoff picture and trying to secure as many home games as possible.
With the No. 2 seed, the most likely path, the Valkyries would be set up with home-court advantage in the first two rounds, should they advance that far. Additional home court is possible should the Lynx lose before the WNBA Finals.
What matters now, in the final week of the regular season, is the momentum Golden State can generate before hosting their first playoff game in San Francisco.
“We have these next four games that we want to win, so we can keep our seeding,” guard Kaila Charles said. “So we’re just taking every day, making the most of it, taking advantage and just getting better.”