One game on Monday's slate, and it's a genuine playoff-clinching opportunity. Golden State can lock up a postseason berth outright with a win over Dallas, who arrives shorthanded and off a fourth-quarter collapse against Indiana. Wings at Valkyries tips at 10:00 PM ET.

Dallas Wings @ Golden State Valkyries | 10:00 PM ET | Peacock

Golden State can guarantee a playoff berth tonight with a win, and the Valkyries enter in about as good a position as possible to do it: winners of five straight, 8-2 over their last ten, and already 2-0 against Dallas this season. Golden State can even clinch before tip-off if Portland loses one of its next two games, but a win tonight settles it regardless.

Dallas, eighth overall and fighting to hold its own playoff position, arrives banged up and reeling. The Wings just blew a winnable game against Indiana, wilting down the stretch for the third time in their last four losses, and Paige Bueckers took only two shot attempts in the fourth quarter of that loss despite being the best player on the floor. Azzi Fudd and Aziaha James are both out, and while Jessica Shepard has been upgraded to probable, Dallas is clearly a diminished version of the team that can compete with Golden State's defense.

DraftKings has Golden State -6.5, with the total at 162.5, one of the lowest numbers of the season. Golden State's defense has been the story of their five-game streak, and a shorthanded Dallas offense leaning heavily on Bueckers is exactly the kind of matchup that defense is built to suffocate. Lean Golden State -6.5, and lean the over given both teams' recent tendency to see this total exceeded in their head-to-head meetings.

Dallas wins if Shepard returns at full strength and takes pressure off Bueckers, the Wings find the fourth-quarter execution that has eluded them in three of their last four losses, and Golden State shows any hesitation with a playoff spot on the line.

Golden State wins if the Valkyries' defense continues suffocating an already shorthanded Dallas offense, Gabby Williams and the supporting cast maintain the balanced scoring that has defined the five-game streak, and Golden State simply closes out the moment in front of them.

Golden State clinching a playoff berth in just their second season as a franchise would be a real milestone, and a win tonight over a shorthanded Dallas team gets it done outright. Paige Bueckers getting more involved in crunch time is the thing to watch for Dallas, after a fourth-quarter disappearing act in Friday's loss to Indiana. With the Wings still fighting to hold their own spot in a crowded field, every possession here carries weight on both sides of the floor.