Valkyries Defense Ranks Among the Best in the WNBA
Golden State held Washington to a franchise-record-low 49 points and just 16 in the second half, extending its win streak to five. Here's how the Valkyries' defense is doing it.
The Valkyries held the Washington Mystics to 49 points on Monday night, a franchise record and the fewest points allowed by any team in the WNBA this season. Washington shot 12.5 percent from three, the lowest mark Golden State has allowed all year. In the second half, the Mystics managed just 16 points, the first time any team has been held to 16 or fewer in a half since the Lynx did it to the Sparks in September 2021.
None of that happened by accident, and none of it is new for this team.
Golden State finished last season with the league's third-best defensive rating and made the playoffs in its first year of existence. Coaches and executives around the league went into 2026 expecting the Valkyries to be one of the top defensive units in the WNBA again. Monday was not a breakthrough. It was the same team doing the same thing it's been doing for two seasons.
"That's attention to detail in terms of our defense," coach Natalie Nakase said. "We just didn't follow it in the first half, so it was really good for them to acknowledge it and hold each other accountable."
A turnover problem becomes a turnover weapon
Nakase pointed to one number above the rest: 17. That's how many turnovers Golden State forced, and the Valkyries converted those into 14 points. They committed only six turnovers themselves, a season low.
"We hit them with a couple clips that really showed we weren't following it, but we have coachable players," Nakase said. "I'm super grateful for that."
The correction showed up fast. Washington scored just seven points in the third quarter, tied for the fewest Golden State has allowed in any quarter this season. The Mystics shot 18.8 percent in the frame, including 1 of 7 from three.
Still No. 2, not No. 1
Golden State's defensive rating currently sits behind only Minnesota's in the league. That gap hasn't closed. What has changed is the margin for error the Valkyries are giving themselves on nights when the rating doesn't tell the whole story, like Monday, when the raw numbers looked historic even if the season-long ranking says otherwise.
Golden State also allowed 22 points in the paint in the first half before tightening up.
"We allowed 22 paint points in the first half, and then it took another step," Nakase said. "They communicated, they were earlier in their shifts, they ball pressured, and so we kept them to eight in the paint. I was really proud of them for really locking in on the game plan, because we can control that."
Bench points to a deeper roster
Golden State's reserves scored 39 points, led by Kaitlyn Chen's 14 on 6-of-9 shooting with four assists. Kaila Charles added eight points and five rebounds.
"We don't really look at first unit, second unit," Charles said. "We just believe in everybody, and we always just come in trying to contribute, bring energy, and just be positive."
Chen framed the defense in similar terms.
"Our defense is something that's all effort and sort of a mental thing," Chen said. "It's something that you can control, and we take pride in our defense."
The win was Golden State's fifth straight, tied for the longest streak in franchise history, and its fifth win in as many meetings against Washington. The Valkyries next travel to Toronto to face the Tempo for the first time on Wednesday.