WNBA Recap & Results | October 2, 2026
One game, one franchise first, and a finish that will be replayed for years. Golden State survived a scare, a 15-point deficit, a furious Dallas rally, and a game-deciding out-of-bounds challenge, to beat the Wings 77-73 and win the first playoff series in Valkyries history. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview prediction held up, and where the bracket stands.
Gabby's Hustle Play Seals Golden State's First Playoff Series
Dallas Wings 73, Golden State Valkyries 77
For most of three quarters, this looked like it might be the night Dallas completed the upset. Golden State's offense went cold, Gabby Williams couldn't buy a bucket, and the Wings built a lead as large as 16, still up 15 late in the third. Then Golden State found a gear nobody had seen from them in this series. The Valkyries closed the third quarter on a run that cut the deficit to five, and Dallas's own coaching staff could feel it coming, warning his team on the bench that Golden State was closing in. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, that warning had become real: the Chase Center crowd, sensing history, got louder with every possession, and so did the sense that Dallas's cushion wasn't going to hold.
Williams, who had managed just two points on 1-of-8 shooting through most of three quarters, hit a much needed three-pointer to start the run to end the third. The game came down to the final possessions. Up one, the Valkyries appeared to knock the ball out of bounds, which gave Dallas the ball with 12 seconds left. But Williams, reacting off the ball, got her foot down in bounds just before touching it, and the call was overturned on an official review and gave the possession back to Golden State. After being intentionally fouled, she made both free throws that followed to push the lead to three. They also opted to intentionally foul Alysha Clark to put her on the line, and she made just one of two free throws. After making the next two free throws, it was game over and the horn sounded after an offline three point attempt. Final: Golden State, 77, Dallas 73; Valkyries win the series 2-1 and advances to the semifinals for the first time in franchise history, where it will face Las Vegas.
Veronica Burton led Golden State with 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Tiffany Hayes added 18 points. Kiah Stokes contributed 13 rebounds and three blocks off the bench. Williams finished with 19 points despite the brutal shooting start, her free throws and late defensive hustle play proving decisive even on an off night from the field. Golden State's 31 bench points and their defensive stand down the stretch, holding Dallas to 14 fourth-quarter points after the Wings had scored 59 through three quarters, reflected exactly the league's No. 1 defense reasserting itself the preview flagged as Golden State's path to the series.
Dallas gave everything it had with a short-handed frontcourt, missing Azzi Fudd and Alanna Smith. Arike Ogunbowale, the hero of Game 2's record-setting night, led the Wings again with 30 points on 52.4% shooting. Jessica Shepard added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. But Paige Bueckers shot just 3-of-14 for 17 points, and Dallas's inability to close out a 16-point lead, allowing Golden State to erase it with one quarter and a half of basketball left to play, ended a series that swung on three separate record-setting and history-making nights.
GSV 77 · DAL 73
GSV Wins, Advances.
Golden State now sets up a semifinal date with Las Vegas and DraftKings's championship favorite, a matchup between the league's best defense and the defending champions. New York and Atlanta tip off their own semifinal Sunday.
Star of the Night: Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries
19 points | 6-of-17 FG | Game-sealing out-of-bounds hustle play
Williams had one of the coldest shooting starts imaginable, then delivered the single biggest defensive play of the season when it mattered most, getting her foot down to preserve possession and the lead with 12 seconds left. Burton's 16-10 double-double and Ogunbowale's 30-point night both made cases, but no individual moment in the playoffs so far has carried more weight than Williams's finish.
Dud of the Night: Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
17 points | 3-of-14 FG | 21.4% field goal percentage
Dallas needed its second star to complement Ogunbowale's heavy lifting, and instead got a cold night at the worst time. Three made shots on 14 attempts in a series-deciding game, with a short-handed roster that couldn't afford another empty possession, is the clearest individual factor in Dallas's season ending.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Prediction
Friday's lone pick missed on the side and hit on the total.
Dallas @ Golden State: The preview leaned Golden State -7.5 (Lean confidence) with the under at 157.5 (Coin flip), citing the league's best defense at home against a thinning Dallas frontcourt. Golden State won by only four, meaning they did not cover despite advancing, and the total came in at 150, under the number. The side missed as Dallas pushed the home favorite to the brink; the under call held up.
The headline takeaway: the preview correctly identified Golden State as the likely winner but undersold just how competitive a short-handed Dallas team would make it, a fitting final chapter for a series that swung on record-setting nights and a one-point margin in the deciding game.
Playoff Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles, updated through October 2:
Spread / Side: 7-3
Total (Over/Under): 5-5
Ten games graded so far across five playoff preview articles. The side calls sit at 70%, while the totals sit at 50%. We'll keep this tally updated through the postseason.
Where the Bracket Stands
First Round, complete: No. 8 New York defeated No. 1 Minnesota 2-0. No. 4 Atlanta defeated No. 5 Washington 2-0. No. 3 Las Vegas defeated No. 6 Indiana 2-1. No. 2 Golden State defeated No. 7 Dallas 2-1.
The semifinal bracket is now complete: No. 4 Atlanta vs. No. 8 New York tips off Sunday, October 4, and No. 2 Golden State vs. No. 3 Las Vegas follows the same day. Both are best-of-five series, with the winners meeting in the WNBA Finals.