Valkyries instant analysis: Golden State extinguishes Fire in bounce-back win
SAN FRANCISCO - The Portland Fire threw all they could at the Valkyries.
Full-court traps. Half-court traps. Zone defense.
None of it mattered.
After taking a brutal loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, the Valkyries bounced back in a big way as they cruised to a 95-77 win over the Portland Fire at home on Tuesday in their first game of the Commissioner's Cup series.
Golden State broke its record for most made 3-pointers in a game, hitting 18-of-40 shots from beyond the arc to beat its previous record of 16.
“When our defense creates transition, then we can kind of flow into these open threes because it’s hard to match up to us when we’re maintaining space,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said.
Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries with 19 points and eight rebohnds. Janelle Salaün added 18 and rookie Juste Jocyte set a career-high in points, scoring eight off the bench.
The Valkyries used a 16-2 run in the middle of the second quarter to take a commanding 20-point lead. They ended up scoring 35 points in the period – the second-most by any team this season.
Led by Thornton's 14 first-half points, the Valkyries took a 56-37 lead at halftime, scoring the second-most points across two quarters in franchise history.
Their 12 made 3-pointers in the first half broke the team's previous first-half record of 10.
After the Valkyries' momentum continued into the third quarter, the Fire fought back to get within eight of Golden State's advantage at the 5:43 mark of the fourth quarter.
But the home team outscored the Fire 20-10 from that point to seal the win.
"It’s a blessing that we respond really well after a loss,” Nakase said. “We hold each other accountable, whether it’s player to player, or coach to player, or player to coach. We do a great job of just being honest and direct, and so I just like the fact that KT [Kayla Thornton] takes that on, and then she leads it. Not only just through talking, but she backs it up with her energy. So we need that now. We've just got to make sure we’re consistent. So again, credit to KT for really leading us tonight."
Thornton stays hot
The University of Texas-El Paso product stayed hot on Tuesday night.
After being held scoreless against the Fever two games ago, Thornton has now played solidly in the Valkyries' last two games.
She scored 12 points against the Aces on Sunday, hitting 4-of-7 of her 3-point attempts. Against the Fire, she hit 5-of-10 shots from deep, marking the first time in her career she had back-to-back games with at least four made 3-pointers.
Thornton said concentrating on her defense and rebounding has helped her shoot the ball better in the past few games. She also credited the crowd for helping her stay hot.
"I mean, it’s great. In Ballhalla, anytime you score, they go crazy, and I think that amps us up even more,” Thornton said.
Jocytė, Salaün get rotation minutes
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase shortened her rotation a bit, playing 10 players instead of the 11-woman rotation she's used in the previous two games.
First off the bench were Jocytė and Salaün, who provided much-needed scoring and frontcourt depth.
At one point in the game, the two young forwards played together as the power forward/center duo with starting center Kiah Stokes on the bench. Salaün's 3-pointer at the 3:17 mark of the fourth quarter broke the team's franchise record for most made 3s in a game.
Nakase said Portland’s lack of a post-up player allowed her to go to the small-ball lineup.
“They don’t have the biggest bigs, and it’s not like they have a high volume of post ups. So I just kind of thought about it, and said maybe we just try it,” Nakase said. “Ja (Janelle Salaün), I thought thrived in it. It’s not easy to just pick that up through just the walkthrough that we did today. … I thought our connectivity on the floor was excellent tonight.”
Jocytė once again looked fluid in her minutes. The Lithuanian rookie had no problem being the team’s primary ball handler or playing off the ball.
“Every time she gets on the court, she does great things,” Salaün said. “She’s very efficient, she’s smart also, and that makes things easier.”
After a rough outing against the Aces, backup center Laeticia Amihere played garbage time minutes in the fourth quarter as Nakase opted to keep a small-ball lineup on the floor.
Burton keeps streak alive
During Sunday's loss to the Aces, Burton got banged up on more than one occasion. Cameras caught the Valkyries star wincing on the bench during a timeout as she grabbed her left leg.
So when Burton appeared on Golden State's injury report prior to Tuesday's game, her consecutive games played streak of 177 was officially in danger of ending.
But the streak continued.
Burton started her 53rd consecutive game in a Valkyries uniform and drew the assignment of guarding Leite.
She finished with 10 points and nine assists in 23 minutes.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM.