The Golden State Valkyries have surprised many observers with their stronger-than-expected debut season. The WNBA's newest team is in the thick of the playoff race with a 10-12 record -- and under head coach Natalie Nakase, Golden State boasts the third-best scoring defense in the league.
Key to the Valkyries' early success has been forward Kayla Thornton, an expansion draft selection who has provided much more than veteran leadership to the first-year franchise.
Thornton, a WNBA champion with the New York Liberty in 2024, is enjoying the most productive season of her career, averaging a career-best 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game -- a statistical contribution that merited her first All-Star selection after 10 years in The W.
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But on Friday, Thornton is set to miss her first game this season. The Valkyries have announced that the 32-year-old is undergoing an evaluation for a lower leg injury, so she will not be available to face the Wings -- one of her former teams -- when Dallas visits Chase Center for a 9 p.m. local tip-off.
As the Los Angeles Sparks eye a second-half resurgence, the Valkyries are under pressure without Thornton to shut down a young Wings team that is coming off an impressive win over the Seattle Storm. Rookie All-Star Paige Bueckers scored a game-high 20 points when these two teams last met in a Commissioner's Cup on June 17, which resulted in an 80-71 win for the Wings.
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