NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
May 24 – The rookie French duo – Janelle Salaun and Carla Leite – led the offense in Friday night’s road win against the Los Angeles Sparks, 82-73.
It looked like the game was slipping away in the first quarter after Odyssey Sims hit three triples in a row, alongside Kelsey Plum’s six points and defensive stops. The Sparks were up two points heading into the second quarter. Golden State’s offense began to click, starting the second on an 18-0 run. They did not allow the Sparks to score for the first 7:24 of the quarter. Golden State held the Sparks to only nine points in the quarter, after that, it was hard for the Sparks to pull together a run early enough to make a comeback.
Salaun totaled 18 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, while Leite had 19 points, two rebounds, and two clutch three-pointers that helped carry the offensive energy.
CARLA LEITE EST ELLE. pic.twitter.com/E3w3Dn3LYQ
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) May 24, 2025
“(Salaün) is meant for these moments,” said Nakase, “She’s meant to have big responsibilities in a scoring role and when we need a bucket, we’re confident with the ball in her hands. … (Carla) is not overthinking, and she’s just being herself and playing free, they really stepped up and impacted this game.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
The defensive effort from the Valkyries was a huge difference-maker against the Sparks. After allowing Kelsey Plum to score 37 points in the home opener last week, Golden State held Plum to 16 points, and 6-of-18 from the field.
The defensive attack forced 18 turnovers and scored 22 points in return. After a major offensive game from Veronica Burton (22 points) on Wednesday, Burton had a career-high five steals. The Valkyries now have the third-best defensive rating in the WNBA at 93.1 and the third-highest rate of opponent turnovers with 16.0. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The Sparks entered their postgame interviews with disappointment all over their faces. Coach Lynn Roberts looked upset. Dearica Hamby provided brief responses to the media as she sat at the podium with her head in her hands.
“They beat us tonight,” Roberts said. “They were more connected. They played harder. They played with more intensity.” (LA Times)
Natalie Nakase, the Anaheim native, felt emotional returning to Los Angeles. Nakase spent 10 years working with the Clippers and shared her reactions to winning at Crypto.com in front of her hometown crowd who came to support her.
“It’s like seeing the ushers — a lot of them I’ve known for a long time, and they’re just saying congratulations and what an accomplishment. It’s nice to see a lot of familiar faces.”
Golden State is heading to New York to take on the former champs in a back-to-back matchup on Tuesday and Thursday.
