LOS ANGELES – The s had the No. 2 seed in hand heading to their common season finale towards the Los Angeles Sparks. Yet one more win would seal it. For many of Thursday evening, it seemed like they’d lose it.
Enjoying disconnected on either side of the ball by three quarters, the Valkyries put collectively a torrid comeback within the closing body, fueled by n's scoring flurry and large performs by s, together with a go-ahead 3-pointer nailed within the nook with 21 seconds remaining.
The Valkyries beat the Sparks 76-75, claiming the second seed. They'll play the Dallas Wings in a first-round playoff sequence that begins Sunday at Chase Heart.
Listed below are takeaways.
Williams comes up clutch: The Valkyries generated loads of beauty towards the Sparks. Williams and n have been attending to the rim, however neither was getting the ball to bounce her approach and the workforce went 1-for-9 from 3-point vary and shot 28% from the sector within the first half.
Burton, Chen and Williams launched into a livid comeback to erase the Sparks' double-digit lead. Burton acquired aggressive to begin the half, and referred to as her personal quantity a handful of instances as she scored six factors early.
Chen scored 13 of her game-high 18 factors within the fourth quarter. Williams, who sat out a very good chunk of the second half after a sluggish begin, got here up with the game-defining performs, scoring eight factors in 69 seconds to take the lead.
First Williams snagged a defensive rebound and hit a 27-footer for 3. Then Williams pressured a foul go and made a working layup in transition, reducing the Sparks' result in two. After a Sparks missed layup, Kiah Stokes discovered Williams within the nook for what was finally the game-winner.
Nneka evening: The Sparks' closing recreation of the season was all about one in all their most completed gamers in franchise historical past. Nneka Ogwumike's 13-year WNBA profession got here to an in depth and the Sparks celebrated accordingly, reuniting the 2016 title workforce, the identical yr she gained MVP.
Nneka Night time seeped into the sport, too. The Stanford alum took over from tipoff and almost accomplished a double-double by the primary half, pouring in 12 factors with eight rebounds to assist L.A. to a nine-point lead on the break. The world was already on her facet, however the vitality introduced which means to this final recreation for the Sparks.
Ogwumike completed with 17 factors and 13 rebounds, capturing 8-of-16 from the sector.
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This text initially revealed at s.
