Natalie Nakase spent Sunday's semifinal opener cycling fresh players into the game. Becky Hammon spent it trying to find enough of them.
The Golden State Valkyries opened the series with a 71-60 win over the defending champion Aces at Chase Center to go up 1-0 in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal, and the minutes column shows how differently the two coaches got there. No Golden State player logged more than 34 minutes, according to ESPN's box score.
Las Vegas played A'ja Wilson 35 minutes, Chelsea Gray 36 and Jackie Young 38.
The Valkyries' reserves outscored the Aces' bench 27-7.
"We know the second unit can play or start if they really, really wanted to," Nakase said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated's Women's Fastbreak. "So, it was just, again, understanding we have strength in numbers and just being super honest in the game."
Help from unlikely places
The production did not come from the usual sources. Janelle Salaün received the league's Sixth Player of the Year award before the game and then played six minutes. Tiffany Hayes played 11.
Kaitlyn Chen, a third-round pick in 2025, filled the gap. When starting point guard Veronica Burton came out with 7:29 left in the third quarter, Nakase stayed with Chen the rest of the way, the Associated Press reported, and Chen finished with 11 points in 22 minutes. Nakase said Burton was healthy. "Kaitlyn Chen was fresh and I'm playing a fresh Kaitlyn Chen," she said.
Center Aminata Gueye, who signed with Golden State on Sept. 20 after playing for France at the FIBA Women's World Cup alongside Gabby Williams and Salaün, scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes. SI reported she had played four minutes total in the regular season.
Williams led all scorers with 25 and added 11 rebounds and five assists.
Las Vegas running thin
The Aces came in without forward Stephanie Talbot, sidelined by a left leg injury, and SI noted that forward NaLyssa Smith will not return this year. Early in the third quarter, guard Jewell Loyd went down with a left leg injury and did not return. She had played 17 minutes without scoring.
Las Vegas said she would be evaluated, and Hammon offered no update afterward, the AP reported.