What Valkyries need to do to avoid playing league-best Lynx in first round

"The Valkyries did themselves no favors by losing to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. If Golden State would have beaten Seattle, the expansion would have been locked into the No. 6 seed with a matchup against either the Atlanta Dream or Las Vegas Aces in the first round - two teams that the Valkyries have beaten at least once this season. But that didn't happen."

"The Valkyries collapsed late and will now go into a must-win game against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday. If Golden State loses, it will be the No. 8 seed and will stay in Minnesota for Game 1 of the first round on Sunday. The stakes of Thursday's game are simple: Win and clinch the No. 6 seed to avoid playing the Lynx. Golden State has lost all three matchups with Minnesota this season by an average margin of 9.3 points."

"The good news for the Valkyries is that Minnesota will likely rest its starters on Thursday, something the Lynx did in Tuesday's game against the Indiana Fever. Superstar Napheesa Collier and former Stanford standout DiJonai Carrington both took Tuesday's game off and could do the same against Golden State. But the Lynx's bench has been formidable all season. In last Saturday's loss to Minnesota, guard Natisha Hiedeman came off the bench to score 24 points in 28 minutes to torch Golden State in its regular season home finale."

Golden State's loss to Seattle put the Valkyries in jeopardy of a worse playoff seed. The team must beat Minnesota on Thursday to clinch the No. 6 seed and avoid facing the Lynx in the first round; a loss would drop Golden State to No. 8 and force Game 1 in Minnesota. Golden State lost all three regular-season matchups with Minnesota by an average of 9.3 points, with the Lynx pulling away in fourth quarters. Minnesota may rest starters like Napheesa Collier and DiJonai Carrington on Thursday, but the Lynx bench has produced strong performances, notably Natisha Hiedeman's 24 points off the bench last Saturday. Seeding permutations mean Golden State could face Atlanta or Las Vegas depending on other final-day results.

Read at The Mercury News