Playoff-bound Valkyries hit road, starting in Chicago

The Golden State Valkyries turn their attention toward strengthening their hold on the No. 2 playoff position when they tip off a five-game trip against the Chicago Sky on Friday night.

Beaten 77-66 at home by first-place Minnesota on Wednesday, the Valkyries (25-10) left the arena closer to the third-place Indiana Fever, who were just 1 1/2 games behind them, than to the Lynx, who were four games ahead.

Golden State has nine games remaining, seven of which will be on the road. It will go one day shy of a full month before its next home game -- Sept. 18 against the Portland Fire -- after completing its current 10-day trip and then getting 18 days off during the upcoming Women's Basketball World Cup in Germany.

With a challenging stretch of five straight on the road, the Valkyries will have a much better idea of their playoff positioning before the league takes its World Cup break. Guard Tiffany Hayes noted after the Minnesota loss that she and her teammates look forward to the postseason challenge -- the Valkyries have already clinched a playoff spot -- after coming up short in a "playoff-type" game against the Lynx.

"We made a lot of mistakes, but at the end, our fight was there the entire time," Hayes said. "I know it was a playoff-type game and I really love those. I can't wait till the next one."

The Valkyries will be making their only visit of the season to Chicago, having split a pair with the Sky at home. Hayes had 22 points and Golden State's reserves outscored their Chicago counterparts 48-24 to more than account for the margin of victory in the clubs' most recent head-to-head, a 91-71 Golden State victory on Aug. 12 in San Francisco.

Chicago (14-22) began play Thursday six games behind the Dallas Wings for the final playoff spot, but it's not going down without a fight. The Sky have won two in a row, including 93-86 at home over the New York Liberty on Tuesday.

Natasha Cloud torched the Liberty for a career-high 35 points to go with a career-high-tying nine rebounds and six assists. She became the first in Sky history to record at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists in the same game.

The 34-year-old looks forward to becoming a free agent at season's end.

"I have so much left to give this game," she told reporters after the win over New York. "I'm not a traditional (point guard). I am a two-way point guard."

Cloud totaled just 16 points, eight rebounds and nine assists across the two earlier meetings with the Valkyries.

--Field Level Media