WNBA: Thornton’s career 29 lifts Valkyries past Sky

Thornton powers Golden State

Kayla Thornton scored a career-high 29 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Chicago Sky 83-78 at Chase Center. The win extended a hot stretch for the expansion club, which entered the night on a four-game run and refused to let it end.

Thornton broke the game open late. She drilled her fourth 3-pointer with two minutes left to push Golden State ahead 78-70, the shot that finally separated two teams that had traded blows all night.

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Let’s do it

Balanced support, a stubborn Chicago

Golden State spread the rest of the scoring around. Tiffany Hayes added 13 points, Kate Martin scored 11 and Kaitlyn Chen chipped in 10. The Valkyries needed all of it against a Sky team that kept clawing back.

Chicago got 20 points from Ariel Atkins and a double-double from Angel Reese, who pulled down 18 rebounds to go with 17 points. Kia Nurse scored 17, twelve of them before halftime, and Rachel Banham added 11. The Sky stayed within range but never grabbed the lead in the closing minutes.

Streak stays alive

The Valkyries keep building something unusual for a first-year team. Stacking wins in August has turned their debut season into a genuine story, and Thornton’s career night pushed the run further.

Chicago leaves Chase Center with a loss it could not quite prevent, undone by one player who found her best game at the wrong time for the Sky.

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