WNBA Recap | August 4, 2026
One game on Tuesday's slate, the second half of a home-and-home at Chase Center, and Golden State did what Golden State has been doing for five straight games: won comfortably, even if Toronto put up more of a fight than the 12.5-point spread suggested they would. Here's how it went down, plus a look at how the preview prediction and season-to-date record held up.
Valkyries Complete the Sweep Behind Balanced Bench Scoring
Toronto Tempo 81, Golden State Valkyries 92
Golden State took control in the third quarter, outscoring Toronto 31-26 to build their largest cushion of the game, and cruised from there for their sixth straight win. But Toronto's offense, which the preview flagged as having actually held up reasonably well during their five-game losing streak, made this more competitive than the market number implied, staying within striking distance for the first three quarters before Golden State's fourth-quarter defense sealed it. Final: 92-81, Golden State improves to 21-9 and stays third in the West, while Toronto falls to 10-20 and remains 13th, effectively eliminated from playoff position.
Janelle Salaun led the way with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-of-6 from three) at 84.4 percent true shooting, adding 12 second-chance points on a nearly perfect second-chance conversion rate. Kayla Thornton was nearly as efficient, going 6-of-10 from the field (4-of-7 from three) for 20 points at 85 percent true shooting. Veronica Burton contributed 12 points and seven assists, and Golden State's bench produced 37 points, the kind of depth scoring that has defined their winning streak. The Valkyries' 27 points off Toronto's 16 turnovers and their 15 offensive rebounds generating 22 second-chance points were the two numbers that mattered most.
Toronto's offense showed real signs of life even in defeat, exactly as the preview anticipated. Nyara Sabally led the Tempo with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting (3-of-6 from three), and Maria Conde added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting (5-of-10 from three). Julie Allemand dished eight assists with four steals. But Toronto's 16 total turnovers, still playing without Brittney Sykes, and their inability to generate stops against a Golden State team that has now allowed fewer than 93 points in five straight wins reflected the defensive collapse that has defined their five-game skid.
GSV 92 · TOR 81
GSV Wins.
Golden State's sixth straight win came against the same opponent they beat two nights earlier, and the Valkyries' league-best defense held up even as Toronto's offense made things more interesting than the lopsided spread suggested. With 21-9 and third in the West, Golden State's second-half surge continues to be one of the most compelling stories of the season. Toronto, now 10-20 and mired in a five-game losing streak with four straight 100-point defensive collapses before Tuesday, is effectively looking at next year.
Star of the Night: Janelle Salaun, Golden State Valkyries
21 points | 8-of-12 FG | 4-of-6 from three | 84.4% true shooting | 12 second-chance points
Salaun's efficiency from the field, combined with her work on the offensive glass generating 12 second-chance points, made her the most complete individual performer in a game where Golden State needed to answer every Toronto push. Thornton's 85 percent true shooting night is the closest competitor, but Salaun's volume and rebounding impact give her the edge.
Dud of the Night: Kiki Rice, Toronto Tempo
2 points | 0-of-3 FG | 5 personal fouls | 2 turnovers | minus-15
Rice went scoreless from the field and picked up five personal fouls in a game Toronto needed every possible contribution to keep pace with Golden State's depth. Her minus-15 reflected a night where she couldn't provide anything positive at either end for a Tempo team already missing Sykes.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Tuesday's lone pick missed on both counts, though not by much.
Toronto @ Golden State: The preview leaned Golden State -12.5 with the under at 168.5, expecting the league's best defense to comfortably cover against a Toronto team in the middle of a five-game losing streak. Golden State won by 11, just short of covering the large spread, and the total came in at 173, just over the number. Both calls missed, but narrowly in each case, a fair outcome given the preview itself flagged that Toronto's offense had actually held up during the skid even as their defense collapsed.
The headline takeaway: even a correctly identified favorite can miss a large spread number when the underdog's offense performs as expected while its defense is the actual problem. Toronto's ability to keep this competitive, despite the lopsided market line, was exactly the scenario the preview's own "Toronto wins if" section described.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through August 4:
Spread / Side: 13-10
Total (Over/Under): 12-11
Twenty-three games graded so far across nine preview articles. The side calls sit at 57 percent, while the totals are right around 52 percent. We'll keep this tally updated with every recap going forward.