Gabby Williams, Jordin Canada power Valkyries and Dream to Game 1 wins in WNBA semifinals
The WNBA semifinals got underway with both home teams taking care of business. The Golden State Valkyries held off the Las Vegas Aces 71-60, while the Atlanta Dream outlasted the New York Liberty 92-82. Both results give the home side control heading into Game 2.
Gabby Williams leads Valkyries past Aces
Golden State controlled the game from the opening tip, building a 22-12 first quarter and leading at the end of every quarter in a 71-60 win over Las Vegas. Gabby Williams led all scorers with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists on 9/18 shooting, including 4/7 from 3-points, in 33:34 on the floor.
Golden State Valkyries 71 - 60 Las Vegas Aces · WNBA 2026-2027 · 04/10/2026
Leaders
| Golden State Valkyries | Las Vegas Aces | |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | Gabby Williams 25 | A’ja Wilson 24 |
| REB | Kiah Stokes 14 | Brianna Turner 7 |
| AST | Gabby Williams 5 | Jackie Young 5 |
Team stats
| Golden State Valkyries | Las Vegas Aces | |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 37.7% | 33.9% |
| 3PTS | 7/24 | 7/21 |
| FT | 12/16 | 11/15 |
| REB | 52 | 25 |
| OREB | 17 | 2 |
Kiah Stokes added a game-high 14 rebounds with 4 blocks, and Kaitlyn Chen chipped in 11 points off the bench. A'ja Wilson answered with 24 points and 4 rebounds for the Aces, but Chelsea Gray's 16 points on 5/14 shooting were not enough to offset Golden State's 52-25 rebounding advantage. Jackie Young added 11 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in the loss. Las Vegas shot 7/21 from beyond the arc compared to Golden State's 7/24, but the Valkyries' dominance on the boards and a balanced scoring effort proved decisive across all four quarters, including a 22-17 third-quarter stretch that kept the Aces at arm's length.
Jordin Canada and Atlanta's third-quarter surge bury Liberty
Atlanta's win came down to one explosive quarter. New York led 40-37 at halftime before Atlanta outscored its visitors 32-15 in the third quarter to seize control of the game. Jordin Canada finished with 25 points on 9/14 shooting, including 4/6 from 3-points, to go with 5 steals in 31:53 played. DeWanna Bonner came off the bench for 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Rhyne Howard played all 40 minutes and posted 16 points, 8 rebounds and a team-high 8 assists.
Atlanta Dream 92 - 82 New York Liberty · WNBA 2026-2027 · 04/10/2026
Leaders
| Atlanta Dream | New York Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | Jordin Canada 25 | Sabrina Ionescu 27 |
| REB | Dewanna Bonner 9 | Jonquel Jones 11 |
| AST | Rhyne Howard 8 | Jonquel Jones 4 |
Team stats
| Atlanta Dream | New York Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 45.1% | 43.1% |
| 3PTS | 10/26 | 11/28 |
| FT | 18/23 | 15/15 |
| REB | 34 | 34 |
| OREB | 9 | 7 |
Angel Reese added 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks for Atlanta. Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 27 points on 10/20 shooting for New York, but she also committed 5 turnovers as the Liberty finished with 19 giveaways as a team. Breanna Stewart scored 19 points with 3 steals and 3 blocks, and Jonquel Jones posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds with a game-high 5 blocks, but New York could not overcome the third-quarter deficit.
Both series now shift to Game 2, with Las Vegas and New York each needing a response to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole in the WNBA semifinals.
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