Valkyries Surge to No. 1 in WNBA Power Rankings
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- Golden State Valkyries moved to No. 1 after winning five straight, beating the Mystics 62-49 on Monday while holding Washington to a league-low 49 points and just 16 second-half points, a season low.
- Veronica Burton led Golden State's starters in scoring against Washington as the Valkyries became just the second WNBA team in the past 10 seasons to win without a starter reaching double figures, according to ESPN Research.
- Coach Natalie Nakase credited a defensive second-half adjustment, noting the team allowed just 8 paint points after halftime compared to 22 in the first half, with guard Kaitlyn Chen adding 14 of Golden State's 39 bench points.
- New York Liberty jumped to No. 2 after beating Las Vegas 93-85 to win the Commissioner's Cup and following up with a 99-86 win over Minnesota, getting 61 points and 18 rebounds from Breanna Stewart across the two games.
- Las Vegas Aces dropped to No. 3 after going 1-2 without injured star A'ja Wilson, and waived guard Chennedy Carter, who had played just 18 minutes across her last two appearances.
- Indiana Fever rose to No. 6 after beating the Aces 84-68 without Caitlin Clark for their first regular-season victory in Las Vegas since the franchise relocated from San Antonio in 2018.
- Phoenix Mercury climbed to No. 9 behind Kahleah Copper's 20.6 PPG average and 30-point outburst against Seattle, extending their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Why it matters: The Valkyries winning five straight without any starter reaching double digits — only the second such WNBA win in a decade — signals that defensive identity can override offensive struggles in a league increasingly defined by star power, while the Liberty's Cup win and Aces' stumble without A'ja Wilson reshape the league's championship hierarchy heading into the All-Star break.
