Valkyries looking to reach next level vs. unbeaten Lynx

After two games against the defending WNBA champions, the Golden State Valkyries get a shot at the 2024 runners-up when the Minnesota Lynx make their first visit to Chase Center in San Francisco for a Commissioner's Cup contest Sunday night.

The expansion Valkyries (2-3) are off to a respectable start, winning two of their first three games before suffering back-to-back losses in a three-day visit to New York this past week.

The second of the two defeats was the most encouraging, as the Valkyries took the unbeaten Liberty to the wire before suffering an 82-77 loss Thursday night.

"Today showed us what our standard can be," Valkyries forward Monique Billings said. "We left it all out there, but at the same time there's still another level to go. But I feel like we reached a good point to where it's like: OK, let's build off of this and let's not fall back."

The Valkyries haven't played at home since beating the Washington Mystics 76-74 on May 21 behind 22 points from Veronica Burton and 18 from Kayla Thornton. Golden State has since gotten starting point guard Tiffany Hayes and 3-point specialist Cecilia Zandalasini, who played last season for the Lynx, back from injuries.

The Lynx (6-0) will take a perfect record up against their first-time opponent. Minnesota opened a two-game Western swing with a 74-71 triumph over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.

Natisha Hiedeman was the hero of the win with a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 5.5 left in a game in which the Lynx elected to hold out star Napheesa Collier with a knee issue.

There's been no announcement on the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week's status for Sunday, although Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve downplayed the injury after the Phoenix game.

"No, nothing happened in (Tuesday's game against Seattle). It's more precautionary," she noted. "It's something she's been dealing with since 2023."

Without her star sidekick available, Kayla McBride led the win with 20 points in just her second game since opening the season on the sidelines due to personal reasons.

With or without Collier, the Lynx will be opening defense of their 2024 Commissioner's Cup championship in San Francisco. The seven Western Conference teams will play a round robin in June, with the club with the best record going up against the East's top finisher for the in-season tournament's championship on July 1.

--Field Level Media