Valkyries vs. Storm: Kaila Charles Posts 16 and 12 as Golden State Wins Sixth Straight, 70-57, in Home Finale

The Golden State Valkyries threw their last regular-season party at Chase Center on Saturday night, and once again every one of the 18,064 seats was spoken for. The guest list was short on stars. Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaun were still out after playing for France at the World Cup, and coach Natalie Nakase again sat players who had just returned from the tournament.

It didn't matter. Kaila Charles piled up 16 points, 12 rebounds and four steals, the bench poured in 32 points, and the Valkyries smothered the Seattle Storm 70-57 for their sixth straight win. A second quarter that Golden State won 28-6 did most of the talking.

A Second Quarter for the Scrapbook

The first 10 minutes were even, with Golden State nursing a 21-19 lead after one. Laeticia Amihere provided the early spark off the bench, scoring seven points in the opening quarter, per the team, including a tough putback and-one under the rim. Then the floodgates opened. The Valkyries ripped off an 11-0 run to go up 36-21, followed it with a 9-0 burst that made it 45-23, and then closed the half on a 12-0 run that carried into the third quarter.

Charles did a bit of everything in the period, chipping in seven points and four rebounds, according to the team. Seattle, meanwhile, scored six points in the entire second period. Six. Golden State led 49-25 at the break, and when that last run finally ended early in the third, the lead was 32 at 57-25.

The Storm's shooting was rough all night. They finished 21 of 63 from the field, and Golden State blocked seven shots, four of them by Kiah Stokes, who protected the rim like it owed her money.

Seattle Made It Interesting, Briefly

Up 59-31 late in the third, the Valkyries eased off the gas, and Seattle took advantage. The Storm used a 9-0 run late in the third and then a 12-0 run that spilled into the fourth, cutting a 64-40 deficit to 64-52 with 8:07 to play. Golden State scored only six points in the entire fourth quarter, which would normally be a five-alarm problem.

Not this time. The Storm had cut it to 12, but Golden State steadied itself, and Kaitlyn Chen calmed everything down with two driving floaters in the final four minutes, the second with 33.8 seconds left to set the final margin.

The Supporting Cast Ran the Show

Charles was the engine. She shot 7 of 17 from the floor and added three assists in 29 minutes, and the team said it was the third double-double of her career and her second this season. That is a starter's line from someone who spent the night doing everyone else's chores, too.

Tiffany Hayes scored 10 with six assists in 19 minutes. Amihere followed her 17-point night against Portland with 11 more off the bench, going 5 for 5 at the line. Rookie Juste Jocyte finished with a career-high 11 on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3 of 3 from deep, although the team said she sustained a left leg injury. Chen added 10, Veronica Burton had nine, and Stokes finished with three points, nine rebounds, four blocks and a team-best plus-18.

Kayla Thornton had the strangest line of the night. She went 0 for 6 from the field, including 0 for 4 from 3-point range, yet still grabbed six rebounds and came up with four steals. As a team, Golden State opened 1 for 7 from beyond the arc before settling in at 9 of 26.

Johnson Was Seattle's Lone Spark

Rookie Flau'jae Johnson led the Storm with 17 points and hit 3 of 6 from deep, although she needed 18 shots to get there. Dominique Malonga shot 2 of 10 for eight points, and Awa Fam had eight points and nine rebounds but also five turnovers and five fouls. Seattle's reserves were outscored 32-16.

The Turning Point

The second quarter, all of it. Golden State held Seattle to six points in 10 minutes, turned a two-point lead into a 24-point halftime cushion, and reduced the rest of the night to a formality.

Stats That Matter

• 28-6: Golden State's second-quarter scoring edge.
• 32-16: The Valkyries' bench advantage.
• 42-36: Golden State's rebounding margin, with 12 offensive boards.
• 7-1: Valkyries blocks to Storm blocks.

What It Means

Golden State improved to 31-11 and finished its home schedule 17-5. The Valkyries never trailed and never saw a tie, leading for 39 minutes according to the team, and they won the steals battle 12-6. Nakase, who served as an assistant for the U.S. team that beat France 97-79 in the World Cup final in Berlin, is clearly in no rush to put her World Cup players back on the floor, and Cecilia Zandalasini, who played for Italy, sat out again too. The Valkyries are second behind Minnesota, according to the AP, and have now won six straight. They also finished 3-0 against Seattle this season and have held six consecutive opponents under 70 points. Golden State visits Portland on Tuesday.

The off-court numbers were just as loud. The AP reported the Valkyries drew 397,408 fans in their second season and sold out every game at Chase Center for the second straight year. No other franchise in WNBA history has sold out every home game across its first two seasons, according to the AP.

Seattle fell to 8-34 overall and 2-19 on the road. The Storm have lost three straight and six of their last seven in what the AP described as one of the worst seasons in team history. They wrap up a road back-to-back at Las Vegas on Sunday.

Closing Take

Golden State played without its best player and its top reserve, got zero points from a starter, scored six points in the fourth quarter, and still won by 13 in front of another sellout. This is the Ted Lasso version of a basketball team: nobody cares whose name is on the marquee, the vibes are immaculate, and somehow the whole thing keeps working.

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