Thursday's three-game slate delivered a statement win, a blowout, and a comfortable road victory. The Golden State Valkyries did something no one expected, jumping all over the New York Liberty from the opening tip and never looking back. Minnesota continued to look like the class of the league, dismantling a Toronto team that is running out of answers. And in Phoenix, the Los Angeles Sparks rode Dearica Hamby's best performance of the young season to a nine-point road win. Here's how it all went down.

Golden State Valkyries 87, New York Liberty 70

Nobody saw this coming. Golden State came into Barclays Center and put up 25 points in the first quarter against one of the most talented rosters in the league. By the time the Liberty made any real noise it was far too late. The Valkyries built a lead as large as 24 and won going away, 87-70. This was not a fluke.

The story was ball security. Golden State turned the ball over just six times and converted New York's 15 turnovers into 17 points, a swing that effectively decided the game before halftime. Veronica Burton ran the show with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, seven assists, and just one turnover for a 7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. She was everywhere. Gabby Williams came off the bench to knock down 4-of-6 from three and finished with 16 points, and Kayla Thornton gave the Valkyries 11 points with five rebounds and two blocks while going 5-of-7 from the field. Kaila Charles added 13 points and seven rebounds in another strong outing. When you get that kind of production from four different contributors, you do not need a single dominant scorer to beat a team like New York.

The Liberty simply had no answers for how Golden State was playing. Breanna Stewart led New York with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds but finished at minus-14. Jonquel Jones chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds but was also minus-14. The problem was not individual performances on paper. The problem was that New York gave the ball away constantly and Golden State made them pay every single time. Marine Johannes went 0-of-5 from the field with two turnovers and a minus-7 in meaningful minutes, and the Liberty's bench was outscored 28-24 by a Golden State second unit that had no business keeping pace with New York's depth on paper.

GSV 87 · NYL 70

Minnesota Lynx 100, Toronto Tempo 72

If you needed a reminder of where the Minnesota Lynx stand right now, Thursday night provided one. The Lynx jumped out 27-14 after the first quarter, pushed the lead to 53-32 by halftime, and never let Toronto get within shouting distance. The final score of 100-72 flatters no one and the biggest lead was 28. Minnesota shot 55.1 percent from the field. Toronto shot 33.8 percent.

Olivia Miles was the engine for Minnesota, posting 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five assists, two steals, and one block while committing just two turnovers. Her 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and 60% field goal percentage made her one of the most efficient guards on the floor. Maya Caldwell shot 4-of-7 from three and finished with 16 points off the bench. Courtney Williams gave the Lynx 15 points and eight rebounds, and Kayla McBride was crisp with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a 100% fast-break conversion rate. Minnesota's bench combined for 37 points, giving the Lynx contributions from every layer of the rotation.

Toronto had no shortage of individual moments in garbage time, but the starters were a disaster. Kia Nurse went for 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting with six threes, but her minus-15 told the real story and she was on the floor for much of the Lynx's most dominant stretches. Marina Mabrey, coming off a 30-point performance two nights earlier against Phoenix, went 1-of-9 from the field for just three points with four turnovers. Laura Juskaite fouled out with five personals on top of her 3-of-27 game (she attempted 7, went 2-of-7 with a 28.6 percent mark). Toronto's starters were outclassed at every position from the opening tip, and the bench's 42 points were almost entirely cosmetic at that deficit.

MIN 100 · TOR 72

Los Angeles Sparks 97, Phoenix Mercury 88

The early game in Phoenix was tight through the first quarter, with Los Angeles leading by just one after 10 minutes. Then the Sparks detonated a 35-19 second quarter that put the game firmly in their control. Phoenix made it somewhat respectable in the third (27-22) and fourth (18-15) but never seriously threatened. Final: Sparks 97, Mercury 88.

Dearica Hamby was sensational. She posted 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting (including two made threes) with 15 rebounds, going a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Her true shooting percentage of 85.2 was the highest of the night by a wide margin, and her efficiency score of 48 was not only the best of the game but the best across all three games on the slate. The 15 rebounds included five on the offensive glass, which led directly to 11 second-chance points. Kelsey Plum added 16 points and seven assists, and Nneka Ogwumike chipped in 12 points on both her three-point attempts converted. The Sparks hit 15 threes on 32 attempts as a team, shooting 46.9 percent from deep against a Phoenix defense that has now given up big three-point outputs in back-to-back games.

Phoenix got 23 points from Alyssa Thomas on 7-of-13 shooting with seven assists and seven rebounds, which was one of the best individual performances on the floor. Kahleah Copper led all scorers with 22 points but needed 20 shots to get there, shot just 35 percent, and finished at minus-14. The Mercury bench contributed just nine points total, a number that was always going to be too much to overcome against a Sparks team that got 26 from its reserves. Natasha Mack continued her recent strong play with 10 points and nine rebounds, but Phoenix simply lacked the depth to match what Los Angeles was doing from the perimeter.

LAS 97 · PHO 88

Three games and three stories worth talking about. Golden State's upset of New York is the headline of the night and maybe the week. The Valkyries played nearly perfect basketball and exposed a Liberty team that looked every bit as beatable as their turnover numbers suggested. Minnesota keeps rolling, and at this point the Lynx look like a team that will be very difficult to beat come playoff time. In Phoenix, Dearica Hamby delivered the kind of performance that puts a player on the league's radar if she was not already there. LA is quietly building something worth watching.

Star of the Night: Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks

27 points | 7-of-11 FG | 2-of-3 from three | 11-of-11 FT | 15 rebounds | Efficiency score 48 | True shooting 85.2%

The perfect free throw shooting, the 15 boards, the five offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points that came from them. This was the most complete individual performance of the night across all three games, and it was not particularly close. Hamby carried the Sparks through a game they needed and looked dominant doing it.

Dud of the Night: Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

3 points | 1-of-9 FG | 0-of-8 from three | 4 turnovers | minus-21

Mabrey came in riding a 30-point game and ran into a Minnesota defense that had zero patience for her. One made field goal in nine attempts, zero makes on eight three-point tries, and four turnovers in a game that was never close. The minus-21 is one of the worst marks on the night, and Toronto needed the Mabrey who showed up against Phoenix, not this version.