Golden State Valkyries vs Dallas Wings: Injury Report, Starting 5, Prediction and More on Tonight’s WNBA Preview

Two teams meet tonight carrying the same stamp of youth, but wearing it in very different ways. Dallas has leaned all the way into a rebuild – returning just three players from last year’s roster and handing the keys to rookies like Bueckers, Quinerly, and Aziaha James. They sprinkled in vets such as Hines-Allen, Tyasha Harris, and Kaila Charles, and even betted on international promise with Luisa Geiselsöder and have a sideline voice in first year HC Chris Koclanes. Their front office stability came in November 2024 when Curt Miller slid into the GM seat. Every move screamed “rebuild” this season.

Golden State, on the other hand, introduced itself to the WNBA for the first time. The Valkyries are still the league’s newest face in their debut season, but they’ve wasted no time writing their story. What was supposed to be just an expansion year has turned into playoff positioning. So here we are: one franchise tearing it down to build it back, the other fresh out of the wrapper and already swinging above its weight. Tonight’s game is about who’s making the biggest noise with their youth-centric approach. And the Valkyries, so far, have had the louder answer.

Golden State Valkyries vs Dallas Wings: Where to Watch?

Date: Thursday, 4th September 2025 Time: 10:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, California Streaming services: WNBA League Pass, FUBO Cable services: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network – North

Injury Report

Golden State Valkyries

Date Player Pos Status Injury/Notes

3 Sep	Tiffany Hayes	G	Out	Knee: expected to miss at least another week of action (per Posther Hoops)
2 Sep	Cecilia Zandalasini	F	Out	Calf: ruled out for Tuesday’s game vs Liberty (per Nathan Canilao, Bay Area News Group)
26 Jul	Kayla Thornton	F	Out	Underwent successful right knee surgery, out for rest of season

Dallas Wings

Date Player Pos Status Injury/Notes

4 Sep	Myisha Hines-Allen	F	Day-to-day	—
4 Sep	Haley Jones	G	Out	—
2 Sep	Luisa Geiselsöder	C	Out	—
24 Aug	JJ Quinerly	G	Out	Sprained ACL (left knee), out for rest of 2025 season
20 Aug	Arike Ogunbowale	G	Out	Tendinitis (knee), will be reevaluated in coming weeks
19 Aug	Li Yueru	C	Out	—
10 Jun	Tyasha Harris	G	Out	Knee procedure, will miss rest of 2025 season

Predicted Starting Lineup

Golden State Valkyries

Janelle Salaun (F): 26.2 MIN, 10.8 PTS, 4.8 REB, 1.2 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.1 BLK Temi Fagbenle (C): 23.5 MIN, 7.3 PTS, 5.0 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.6 BLK Iliana Rupert (F): 22.4 MIN, 9.2 PTS, 3.7 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.4 BLK Kaila Charles (G): 17.7 MIN, 7.0 PTS, 3.6 REB, 0.6 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.1 BLK Veronica Burton (G): 29.3 MIN, 11.9 PTS, 4.5 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.6 BLK

Dallas Wings

Amy Okonkwo (F): 20.4 MIN, 11.4 PTS, 3.0 REB, 1.2 AST, 1.4 STL, 0.2 BLK Maddy Siegrist (F): 26.9 MIN, 12.7 PTS, 4.5 REB, 0.7 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.6 BLK Grace Berger (G): 21.9 MIN, 3.5 PTS, 3.3 REB, 3.2 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK Paige Bueckers (G): 33.5 MIN, 18.9 PTS, 3.8 REB, 5.3 AST, 1.6 STL, 0.5 BLK Diamond Miller (G): 12.8 MIN, 4.3 PTS, 1.7 REB, 1.2 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.2 BLK

How the Golden State Valkyries vs Dallas Wings Game Might Go Down

Friday morning in San Francisco will carry the feel of two teams headed in opposite directions. The Dallas Wings limp in at 9–32, having lost eight straight games and their bench looking more like an infirmary than a rotation. Arike Ogunbowale and JJ Quinerly headline the absences, while Myisha Hines-Allen is listed day-to-day. Dallas will still fight, but their 81.5 points per game get swallowed up by defensive lapses, allowing nearly 89 a night.

Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket as Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles (6) defends during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Golden State, meanwhile, has quietly pieced together a rhythm. They are the winners of four games in a row. The Valkyries boast a balanced frontcourt in Janelle Salaun and Temi Fagbenle, with Veronica Burton hounds ballhandlers on the perimeter.

They don’t always light up the scoreboard (the Valkyries sit at 78.5 PPG with 41% FG), but their defense has held opponents to 76.4 points. It’s good for a positive differential. That resilience has turned them into a true middle-seed threat. They are now sitting sixth in the standings and holding the tiebreaker edge in this season series.

The matchup history tells its own tale. Dallas stole the opener back in June, but since then, Golden State has taken control. They have won the last two, including a 90-81 victory just two weeks ago. The Wings’ slide has only deepened since, while the Valkyries have beaten contenders like Indiana and Washington on their way to this streak.

So, can Paige Bueckers, the rookie star still pouring in nearly 19 points per game, conjure some magic for Dallas? Or will Golden State’s collective defense snuff her out again? According to ESPN Analytics, Golden State carries a 57.8% chance to keep its momentum rolling.

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