Before the game against the New York Liberty and Golden State Valkyries, the Liberty pulled out all the steps for former forward Kayla Thornton. They presented flowers and gave her, what she earned — a 2024 WNBA Championship ring.
Thornton played for the Liberty last season and was a part of the organization's first ever title. She played an important sixth woman role for the Liberty and was on the court for the final seconds during Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
During the game, the Valkyries lost to the Liberty 95-67. Thornton added 13 points and six rebounds in the loss. Golden State plays the undefeated Liberty again on Thursday. Despite playing one of the elite teams in the league, it can give the young team a front row seat to what they need to build on to join the list of elite teams.
Breanna Stewart scored 24 points for the leader and Jonquel Jones added a double-double. The Liberty do so well at playing sound defense and spreading the ball around to their many stars. It is a lesson that the Valkyries can learn for the future.
The Liberty played well on both ends of the court
They added 14 3-pointers during the game and 14 steals during the game. They started the game up 20-3 and never allowed the Valkyries to get into the game. It is a way of basketball that has led to a lot of success over the last few years.
Star guard Sabrina Ionescu added eight points and six assists for the Liberty during the game. Her role, similar to Caitlin Clark, is able to open things up to spread the ball around due to her strong ability to shoot.
Could guard Veronica Burton play a similar role for the Valkyries? She will be able to see on the court and find ways to develop her game while playing against a player of Ionescu's caliber. During the first loss to the Liberty, Burton had 13 points and six assists.
Head coach for the Valkyries, Natalie Nakase, said that she was looking for an opportunity during the loss at Barclays. She spoke of choosing rest over rhythm during the game and admitted that may have been a mistake.
Now they don't have time to rest as the turnaround to play at Barclays is coming up. But learning from a champion like Thornton and watching her former team may be hard in the standings at the moment but could be beneficial for years to come.