Valkyries vs. Fire: Kaitlyn Chen Drills Career-High Five 3s as Golden State Beats Portland 82-66

Kaitlyn Chen picked a fine night to turn into a flamethrower. Coming off the bench Friday at Chase Center, she knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers and scored 17 points as the Golden State Valkyries came out of the World Cup break with an 82-66 win over the Portland Fire.

It was Golden State's fifth straight victory, and it came without star Gabby Williams and top reserve Janelle Salaun, who had both suited up for France in the World Cup final, a 97-79 loss to the U.S. the previous Sunday. Laeticia Amihere matched Chen with 17, Veronica Burton set a franchise record with six steals, and another sellout crowd of 18,064 watched the Valkyries turn a tight first half into a comfortable night.

Portland Hung Tough Early

The Fire showed up ready to compete. Portland led 20-19 after the first quarter, even with Carla Leite, another of France's World Cup players, starting slowly. Leite missed her first four shots before eventually working her way to 12 points and six assists. The Valkyries' best early sign came from the rookie corner: Juste Jocyte checked in late in the first quarter, set up a Chen 3 and then buried one of her own with 11.6 seconds left in the period, according to the team.

The second quarter is where Golden State's defense started to bite. The Valkyries won the period 21-10 and took a 40-30 lead into the break. Amihere scored six during that push, according to the team, and Golden State collected six steals in the quarter, two of them from Tiffany Hayes.

The Third Quarter Knockout

Portland still had a pulse midway through the third, trailing just 52-46. Then the Valkyries detonated. A 10-0 run made it 62-46. After Portland got three points back, Golden State scored 13 more in a row, a burst that bridged the third and fourth quarters and pushed the lead to 75-49. Add it up and that is a 23-3 stretch, which ended any suspense.

Golden State's lead peaked at 26, and the Fire's 8-0 run late in the fourth only made the final score look a little more respectable. Amihere's lone free throw with 39.6 seconds left was the Valkyries' only point of the final five minutes, which tells you the scoreboard had long since stopped mattering.

Chen and Amihere Led the Way

Chen shot 6 of 10 overall and 5 of 8 from deep in 25 minutes and finished a plus-20. Amihere was just as productive, scoring a career-high 17 on 6-of-10 shooting, per the team, with two 3s, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Jocyte finished with three triples for a career-high nine points, the team said, though she also fouled out.

Hayes scored 13 with a season-high seven assists, per the team, and Kayla Thornton matched her with 13 points, knocking down three 3s. The Valkyries made 13 of 37 from distance, and their bench delivered 43 points, which is the kind of depth that lets a coach rest key players and still win by 16. The team said it was the 16th time this season the reserves have reached 40, and Golden State is 12-4 in those games.

Then there was Burton. She scored only four points, all at the free-throw line, but her six steals were the most by a player in Valkyries history and, according to the team, the second-most by any WNBA player this season. Golden State finished with 14 steals and seven blocks and forced 22 Portland turnovers, which it converted into 17 points. Kiah Stokes chipped in nine rebounds and two blocks and was a plus-15, and Hayes owned the best plus-minus in the building at plus-21.

Portland's Offense Never Found a Rhythm

Frieda Buhner led the Fire with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench. Nyadiew Puoch had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Leite finished with 12. Beyond that, Portland struggled: the Fire shot 22 of 61 overall and 8 of 29 from 3-point range, and Karlie Samuelson and Emily Engstler combined for six points on 2-of-10 shooting. Charisma Osborne gave Portland a late lift with five points, including a 30-foot 3. The frustrating part for the Fire is that they actually won the glass 38-34 and made 14 of 17 free throws. The 22 turnovers erased all of it.

The Turning Point

The 10-0 run late in the third quarter. Portland trailed only 52-46 and was threatening to make it a game. Golden State answered with 10 straight, then 13 more after a brief Fire response, and the night was over before the fourth quarter really began.

Stats That Matter

• 5 of 8: Chen from 3-point range, a career high in makes.
• 6: Burton's steals, a Valkyries record.
• 22: Portland turnovers, worth 17 points to Golden State.
• 43: Golden State's bench points.

What It Means

Golden State improved to 30-11 overall and 16-5 at home, and the AP noted the Valkyries sit second in the league behind Minnesota. Coach Natalie Nakase, who was an assistant for the U.S. team at the World Cup, is being careful with her roster's health with the playoffs approaching, according to the AP. Cecilia Zandalasini, who played for Italy, also sat this one out. The Valkyries have now held five straight opponents to 70 points or fewer, which the team said made them the first WNBA team to do that since the 2021 Connecticut Sun. Golden State hosts Seattle on Saturday.

Portland fell to 16-26 overall and 8-13 on the road. The Fire have lost three straight and six of their last seven. They visit Los Angeles on Sunday.

Closing Take

Chen's night is the sort of thing that happens to deep teams. Two of Golden State's most important players sat out, and a reserve simply decided it was her turn. Think of it as the Ocean's Eleven rotation: everybody on the crew has a specialty, and on any given night, a different one gets to run the job.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Records as reported by the Associated Press and the Golden State Valkyries.