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WNBA · MATCHUP PREVIEW

Golden State Valkyries at Las Vegas Aces

2026-10-11 · 12:00 PM CT · If necessary · Game 4

ESPN standings data retrieved October 6, 2026. MLB and WNBA comparisons use regular-season totals, separate from playoff results.

The team numbers

Golden State Valkyries

2026 regular season

MeasureSeason averageLeague rank
STANDARD STATS
Points / game82.214 / 15
Rebounds / game33.39 / 15
Assists / game19.313 / 15
Turnovers / game10.41 / 15
Steals / game7.84 / 15
Blocks / game4.08 / 15
FG%42.2%15 / 15
3PT%34.4%6 / 15
FT%77.4%12 / 15
THE LAB MEASURES
eFG%49.9%12 / 15
Turnover rate12.0%1 / 15
Offensive rebound rate——
Free-throw pressure0.27112 / 15

Las Vegas Aces

2026 regular season

MeasureSeason averageLeague rank
STANDARD STATS
Points / game91.52 / 15
Rebounds / game33.47 / 15
Assists / game22.02 / 15
Turnovers / game12.03 / 15
Steals / game7.29 / 15
Blocks / game4.91 / 15
FG%48.6%2 / 15
3PT%36.2%3 / 15
FT%81.4%3 / 15
THE LAB MEASURES
eFG%55.0%2 / 15
Turnover rate13.4%4 / 15
Offensive rebound rate——
Free-throw pressure0.2939 / 15

ESPN team totals and game box scores checked October 6. WNBA season averages and ranks use the 2026 regular season; playoff game results are shown separately. Ranks are within the league, with ties sharing a rank; a lower turnover rate is better. Season offensive rebound rate needs opponent defensive-rebound totals, which this feed does not supply. A dash means unavailable. This game’s offensive rebound rate uses the opponent’s actual rebounds.

How we read the Lab measures

eFG% gives a made three its extra value. Turnover rate estimates the share of plays lost before a shot. Offensive rebound rate is the share of available offensive rebounds collected. Free-throw pressure is FTA/FGA. The calculations are (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM)/FGA; TOV/(FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV); OREB/(OREB + opponent DREB); and FTA/FGA.

THE LAB READ

How this game can be won

Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces enter with scoring averages of 82.2 and 91.5. Start with the kinds of shots they get, not just how many points they score. A clean shot at the rim or an open three can matter more than another difficult jumper.

The shooting comparison is 49.9% eFG for Golden State Valkyries and 55.0% for Las Vegas Aces. That measure counts the extra value of a made three. If the defense takes away the first good look, watch whether the offense can create another without rushing.

Ball security is the next pressure point. Golden State Valkyries turn it over on an estimated 12.0% of plays; Las Vegas Aces are at 13.4%. Fewer wasted trips mean more chances to score and fewer easy chances going the other way.

After the shot, watch the rebound. Then watch which team earns free throws. Extra shots and trips to the line can keep an offense moving when the shooting cools. The season columns give the baseline; the game columns in our final breakdown will show which advantages actually held up.

THE LAB · OUR SIMULATION

Our matchup simulation

ESPN completed 2026 WNBA regular-season and playoff box scores, checked October 6. We apply the Lab measures, fit their relationship to the scoring margin, then sample possible results from the scoring errors observed in completed games.

Golden State Valkyries40.5%
Las Vegas Aces59.5%
Projected marginLas Vegas Aces +2.5
Standard deviation13.6 points
Middle 80% of margins-16 to +19Home minus away · points
Market spreadNot available in the checked feed

Standard deviation shows how widely the simulated scoring margins vary. A larger number means a less steady outcome; it is not the error bar on the win percentage.

HOW THE SIMULATED GAMES FINISHED
-45 to -41 points · 108 trials-40 to -36 points · 223 trials-35 to -31 points · 443 trials-30 to -26 points · 2,239 trials-25 to -21 points · 1,786 trials-20 to -16 points · 5,560 trials-15 to -11 points · 6,989 trials-10 to -6 points · 6,536 trials-5 to -1 points · 14,567 trials0 to 4 points · 16,896 trials5 to 9 points · 14,826 trials10 to 14 points · 11,982 trials15 to 19 points · 8,091 trials20 to 24 points · 5,756 trials25 to 29 points · 1,765 trials30 to 34 points · 1,196 trials35 to 39 points · 361 trials40 to 44 points · 326 trials45 to 49 points · 350 trials50 to 54 points · 0 trials-40+0+50Home team margin · points

Golden State ValkyriesLas Vegas Aces

Where the factor edge comes from

Lab measureWeightHome − away · zBaseline margin effect
Shooting · eFG%40%+0.68+2.7 pts
Ball security · TOV%25%-1.07-2.6 pts
Offensive rebounds · OREB%20%-1.31-2.6 pts
Free-throw pressure · FTA/FGA15%+1.64+2.4 pts

Positive effects favor Las Vegas Aces; negative effects favor Golden State Valkyries. Both offense and defense enter the net factors. Home-court / field term +2.5 points. These effects explain the fitted baseline; the simulation also varies its fitted coefficients and game outcomes.

Model inputs, variability and validation

Five-game league-average prior; forecasts require five previous games for both teams. New provisional editorial weights 40/25/20/15 percent; not fitted factor coefficients. Profiles use 2026-10-04T20:00Z. Historical calibration uses only each game’s earlier factor data; 302 completed games fit the margin and home advantage.

Chronological check 88 held-out games; margin RMSE 13.6 points; Brier score 0.183 (50/50 baseline 0.250; lower is better). The final fit then uses all available earlier games. This check is not proof of future calibration.

Outcome noise resamples observed scoring-margin errors, preserving the shape of the available results instead of imposing a bell curve. Fifty bootstrap fits capture some uncertainty in the fitted coefficients. Between-batch win-rate standard deviation 3.6 percentage points. Monte Carlo sampling standard error 0.16 percentage points applies to the unsplit positive-margin frequency; it excludes model error. Zero-margin trials (4.1%) are split equally to estimate the final winner. That is an explicit overtime assumption, not a modeled overtime system.

Injuries, starting lineup changes, rest, travel and postseason rotation changes are not adjusted. The model uses no market odds. Forecast snapshot October 6 at 10:49 AM CT; only confirmed regular-season or playoff games in the following seven days qualify.

Full simulation method and league checks →

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