Lynx vs. Valkyries: Olivia Miles and Kayla McBride Score 20 Apiece as Minnesota Beats Golden State 77-66

Somewhere in the Bay Area, Stephen Curry's ears were burning. Late on Wednesday night at Chase Center, the building his Warriors call home, Kayla McBride knocked down a 3 and tucked the crowd in with Curry's own "night night" gesture. It was petty. It was perfect. And by then, the Golden State Valkyries still hadn't led for a single second.

The Minnesota Lynx beat the Valkyries 77-66 in a meeting of two of the WNBA's top teams, and it wasn't as close as the final margin. McBride and Olivia Miles scored 20 points apiece, Napheesa Collier added 18 with eight rebounds, and Golden State never held a lead in front of 18,064 fans. The only real downer for Minnesota came midway through the fourth quarter, when Miles exited with an injured left ankle.

A Cold Start That Never Fully Thawed

The Valkyries' first half was a horror movie shot from behind the 3-point line. Golden State shot 4 for 17 in the opening period, with just one make on six tries from deep, and began the night 5 of 27 overall, per the AP. Minnesota led 21-13 after one and then stretched a 10-0 run across the quarter break, turning 18-13 into 28-13.

The second quarter opened no better for the home team, which started it 1 of 12. By the time the Lynx reached 35-18, the sellout crowd had gone from raucous to anxious. Minnesota took a 41-26 lead to the locker room with Golden State sitting at 2 of 14 from beyond the arc, and the lead would eventually peak at 22.

To their credit, the Valkyries didn't go quietly. Trailing 54-36 late in the third, they ripped off 11 straight points while Minnesota went nearly four minutes without scoring. Janelle Salaun was at the center of it, with a 3-pointer early in the fourth, a free throw and then a layup that made it 54-47 with 8:18 left.

That was the window. Minnesota closed it. Cecilia Zandalasini's 26-foot 3 made it 63-55 at the 4:44 mark, and every Golden State basket over the next two and a half minutes drew an immediate Lynx reply. Collier scored at the rim, Courtney Williams hit a pull-up, and Collier went to the line. Then came McBride's 27-footer with 2:05 left, which made it 72-61 and ended any real hope of a comeback.

Miles Dazzles Before the Scare

Miles was on another level. The standout rookie made 8 of 10 shots, 3 of 5 from deep, and finished with seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 30 minutes. Golden State had no answer for her in any part of the floor, which makes the way her night ended all the more nerve-racking. According to the AP, she turned the ankle when she stepped on Collier's foot, limped off, spent a short time in the locker room and came back to the bench area.

McBride supplied the swagger along with the shot-making, going 6 of 13 overall, 3 of 7 from deep and 5 of 6 at the line. Collier's 18 came with a perfect 8 of 8 from the stripe. Williams added nine points and seven assists, and Natasha Howard had eight points, six rebounds and four assists, though her seven turnovers are the one thing the Lynx will want back.

For Golden State, Salaun led the way with 15 points off the bench. Veronica Burton had 14 points, seven assists and four steals. Tiffany Hayes added 12 points and seven rebounds, four of them offensive. The biggest problem was the shooting from its top options. Gabby Williams, the team's leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and went 1 for 7 from 3-point range, while Zandalasini went 3 of 15 and 1 of 9. Kaila Charles left in the fourth after taking a hit to the eye, per the AP.

The Turning Point

The 10-0 run that bridged the first two quarters. Golden State was only down five when it started and still believed the shots would come. By the time it ended, the Valkyries were down 15 and pressing, and the deficit forced them to spend the rest of the night playing catch-up. Their fourth-quarter push was real, but it came from too far back.

Stats That Matter

• 7 of 37: Golden State from 3-point range, good for 19%.
• 28 of 56 vs. 25 of 77: Minnesota took 21 fewer shots and still made three more.
• 13-5: Golden State's edge in offensive rebounds, a pile of extra chances that mostly went to waste.
• 8 of 10: Miles from the field.
• 14 of 16: Minnesota at the free throw line, with Collier perfect in her eight tries.

What It Means

The Lynx move to 30-7 and 16-2 on the road. They've won five straight and 15 of 16, which matches our recount of the schedule, and the AP has them at 11-1 on the road against the Western Conference. They visit Washington on Friday, and their biggest question is the health of Miles.

Golden State drops to 25-10 and 15-5 at home, ending a six-game winning streak. Monday's 78-70 win over Dallas had already locked up a playoff berth for the Valkyries, and they got more good news Tuesday when WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Chase Center will host the 2027 All-Star Game. Beating Minnesota remains the unfinished business. The AP noted the Valkyries are still looking for their first win over the Lynx in seven meetings, and Minnesota also swept them out of the first round of the 2025 playoffs. Up next is a trip to Chicago on Friday.

Closing Take

Doing the "night night" at Chase Center is like walking into someone's house, eating their leftovers and then complimenting the fridge. McBride earned the right. Minnesota walked into a sold-out building against one of the league's best teams, took a double-digit lead before most people had settled in, and never gave it all the way back. If Miles' ankle checks out, the Lynx look a lot like the team everybody else is going to have to beat. If the Valkyries want to change that, they'll have to start by making a few more than seven 3s.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.