Golden State 88, Atlanta 83
By the Numbers
- Veronica Burton posted her third 20-point scoring performance of the year with 21 points on 6-9 (66.7 percent) from the field and 7-8 (87.5 percent) from the line.
- Gabby Williams tied her season high with four-made threes in the contest, scoring 19 points on the day.
- Janelle Salaün scored 14 points on 5-9 (55.6 percent) from the floor.
- Kaila Charles scored seven points to go with eight rebounds, six of which came in the fourth quarter, and tied her career high with five assists.
- Kiah Stokes added seven rebounds and five points.
- Golden State forced 17 turnovers and got 23 points off turnovers, one shy of tying its season high.
- The Valkyries set a franchise record with 15 steals, led by Charles’, Stokes’ and Williams’ three each. Charles’ three steals ties her career high.
- The win gives Golden State 14th on the year, the second most in the WNBA, and its fourth straight which is the Valkyries’ second four-game winning streak this season.
Quotes
HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:
ON WHAT’S BEEN WORKING DURING THIS WINNING STREAK:
“I think it was after the Seattle game, which was really challenging for us. Kind of came down to the wire, but I don't think we're emptying the tank, and we talked about that. Our roster and our strength in numbers is our advantage. But the only way it's going to be to our advantage is if we empty the tank. So we talk about playing the five hardest minutes of our lives. We finally kind of came to fruition with that I'd say over the last couple of games. So I think that's really been working. It's just, like the girls said, we're focusing on ourselves. We're holding each other accountable, and we're conserving all of our energy to hold each other accountable. That's what's working.”
ON THE BENCH PERFORMANCE:
“They were huge this afternoon, especially in that third quarter, we wanted to come out extremely hard, and I thought they did a great job of maintaining a lot of good pace. Their attention to detail, I thought their defense really locked in. So credit to that group on staying locked in together, not letting the offense affect their defense; because sometimes we can get in droughts. But we do a great job of controlling what we control, and that's our defensive intensity.”
ON GABBY WILLIAMS’ IMPACT:
“I mean, Gabby's [Williams] an amazing, amazing person. But just the fact that she doesn't want attention.I think for someone who is that good on both ends of the ball, she just doesn't like the attention and what that does. It just kind of spills into how much she understands she needs her teammates, and her teammates need her. So the fact that she's our humble star. She leads with grace, she leads with humility, and I think that's what also allows everyone else to shine, because she doesn't need to shine every night. She knows that, and she leans on that, and that's why I say, again, we're strength in numbers.”
GOLDEN STATE GUARD VERONICA BURTON AND FORWARD GABBY WILLIAMS
ON THE THIRD WIN OVER ATLANTA:
Burton: “Atlanta is an incredible team. I think we're well aware of that, I'm not sure it's necessarily, like just against them. I think we've been playing some really good basketball lately. We just happen to play them a lot as of late. We have just been playing more complete games. That's what we've talked about. When they go on a run, being able to stay composed, stay together. Obviously, it's a little bit different playing them on the road. Different challenges come with that, but I think we just did a really good job of staying connected. Rebounds were a big thing, turnovers were a big thing, especially for us last game. So I think we really honed in on those areas and made those adjustments.”
ON THE DEFENSIVE MINDSET:
Williams: “I think because, obviously, they're a really physical team. I think if we can just get our hands active and get some deflections, it kind of covers up maybe some mismatches that we have. It gets them out of their spots that they like to be in. That's just when we can adjust to their physicality.”
ON HER SUCCESSES THIS SEASON:
Williams: “I think I'm just in the right place. I'm really gracious and lucky to represent the Valkyries at All-Star and as a starter. But it's not me, it's everything that the franchise stands for and is about. I just am lucky enough to kind of be in that position. My teammates pick me up, they carry me. We're winning a lot of games because everyone's working their butts off. I think it's just a testament to all the work that everyone is doing around me.”
Up Next: The Valkyries continue the road trip against Washington on Monday, July 6, at 4:30 p.m. PT on KPIX, KOVR, and and the Audacy App.
