Valkyries Put Defending Champion Aces on the Brink After Burton’s Clutch Three

The Golden State Valkyries are one win from the WNBA Finals after surviving the Las Vegas Aces 83-81 in Game 2 of their semifinal series. Veronica Burton, who had not made a field goal all night, buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining to break a 76-76 tie. Gabby Williams scored 20 points, Tiffany Hayes supplied 21 off the bench and Golden State finished the job with disciplined late-game execution to take a 2-0 series lead.

What makes the result especially significant is the opponent. Las Vegas entered the postseason as the defending champion, with A’ja Wilson and a core built for pressure games. The Aces erased a Golden State lead and briefly moved in front late, but the Valkyries answered instead of unraveling. Coach Natalie Nakase also leaned into an intentional-foul strategy in the closing seconds, preventing Las Vegas from getting a clean game-tying three. Kiah Stokes then blocked the Aces’ final attempt near the rim.

Golden State now heads to Las Vegas for Friday’s Game 3 with a chance to reach the Finals in only the franchise’s second season. Burton’s shot will get the replay treatment, but the larger takeaway is that the Valkyries have shown they can win with defense, depth and poise against the league’s reigning champion. That combination makes this run look increasingly sustainable rather than surprising.