Last Night in Sports: Valkyries Sweep the Aces Into the WNBA Finals

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2026

Twelve finals, and the night belonged to the second-year team that keeps making history. The Valkyries swept the defending champion Aces 87-77 in overtime at Michelob ULTRA Arena — the quickest any expansion franchise has ever reached the WNBA Finals — and the Dream swept the Liberty 85-83 a few hours earlier, setting up a Valkyries-Dream Finals that tips off October 17 in the Bay. Around them: the Rockets put on a show in Macao, a Bulls scare in Chicago, four NHL finals and a Friday college football slate with a 35-point swing in Louisville. Here’s everything that happened.

WNBA: the Finals are set — Valkyries vs. Dream

The Valkyries are going to the Finals. Kayla Thornton scored 18 points, Gabby Williams added 16 — eight of them in overtime — and Golden State outscored the Aces 16-6 in the extra period to finish a 3-0 semifinal sweep of the defending champions, 87-77. A 17-0 third-quarter run flipped the game; the Aces, who had won three of the last four titles, never recovered. Former Aces Kiah Stokes (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Tiffany Hayes (11 points) did the damage against their old team, while A’ja Wilson — honored before tip for an unprecedented fifth MVP award — finished with 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Jackie Young added 18 and Chelsea Gray 17 for Las Vegas.

Earlier in the night, the Dream punched their ticket in Brooklyn. Angel Reese scored 22, Jordin Canada went for 19 points and 11 assists, and Atlanta edged the Liberty 85-83 to sweep that semifinal 3-0. Jonquel Jones was enormous in defeat for New York — 26 points and 14 rebounds — but the 2-0 lead keeps its perfect playoff record: teams up 2-0 in WNBA postseason history are now 22-0.

So it’s No. 2 Golden State hosting No. 4 Atlanta for the championship, beginning October 17, with the Valkyries holding home-court advantage. Two years into their existence, Golden State is four wins from a title. The takeaway: the league’s old order — the Aces’ would-be dynasty — just got swept out of its own building by the new kids, in overtime, in an elimination game. Valkyries page · Aces page · Dream page · Liberty page · WNBA page

Every final: WNBA semifinals, Game 3

• Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT) — GS sweeps 3-0, reaches the Finals
• Dream 85, Liberty 83 — ATL sweeps 3-0, reaches the Finals

NBA preseason: Rockets roll in Macao, Bulls lose Buzelis

The NBA’s China Games are back, and Houston made the first one a laugher. The Rockets beat the Mavericks 135-117 at the Venetian Arena in Macao — the first of two meetings there — behind Alperen Şengün’s triple-double: 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in under 22 minutes. Fred VanVleet (17 points, five threes) looked spry in his return to game action, Tari Eason poured in 20 off the bench, and Kevin Durant added 15 as Houston led by as many as 28. For Dallas, second-year star Cooper Flagg played only the first half and still put up 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting; Kyrie Irving sat out but could play in Sunday’s rematch.

In Chicago, the final score was almost the footnote. The Grizzlies beat the Bulls 104-100 at the United Center, but the night turned in the second quarter when Matas Buzelis went down with a right ankle injury and did not return — 6 points and a block in 12 minutes. The 21-year-old downplayed it afterward, saying he expects to be ready for Sunday’s exhibition in Denver. Ty Jerome’s 16 led Memphis; rookie Caleb Wilson’s 21 led Chicago. Rockets page · Mavericks page · Grizzlies page · Bulls page · NBA page

Every final: NBA preseason

• Rockets 135, Mavericks 117 — Macao (NBA China Games)
• Grizzlies 104, Bulls 100

NHL: four finals

A tidy four-game Friday. The Kraken thumped the Red Wings 6-3 in Detroit behind two goals from Frederick Gaudreau and three points from Ben Meyers; the Capitals handled the Rangers 3-1 in Washington with Boone Jenner scoring the difference; the Blue Jackets edged the Penguins 3-2 in a shootout in Columbus — Damon Severson scored and Cole Sillinger added two assists while Evgeni Malkin answered for Pittsburgh; and the Ducks routed the Jets 5-1 in Winnipeg, with Mikael Granlund scoring and Beckett Sennecke adding two assists. Kyle Connor had Winnipeg’s lone goal. NHL page

Every final: NHL

• Kraken 6, Red Wings 3
• Capitals 3, Rangers 1
• Blue Jackets 3, Penguins 2 (SO)
• Ducks 5, Jets 1

College football: Louisville buries FSU, Iowa rolls in Seattle

Friday night in the ACC belonged to the Cardinals. Louisville trailed Florida State 14-0 in the second quarter — then ripped off 35 unanswered points and buried the Seminoles 44-20 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Isaac Brown was unplayable: 235 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, including a 97-yard scoring dash on the very next play after FSU’s failed fourth-and-goal. Louisville piled up 397 rushing yards, and FSU (3-3) has now lost 13 straight games away from home.

In Seattle, Iowa handled Washington 41-24 behind backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, who threw three touchdown passes filling in for the injured Hank Brown. BYU beat Iowa State 24-10 in Provo, and in FCS play Columbia topped Marist 41-28.

Every final: college football

• Louisville 44, Florida State 20
• Iowa 41, Washington 24
• BYU 24, Iowa State 10
• Columbia 41, Marist 28

Also: Malone wins his UNC debut

One exhibition worth your time: North Carolina opened the Michael Malone era with an 88-70 win over USC at First Horizon Coliseum, as Jarin Stevenson poured in a career-high 25 points and the Tar Heels held the Trojans to 33 percent shooting.

Off the board

No NFL, MLB or MLS games on the Friday slate — the pros took the night off while October baseball’s next act and Sunday football wait their turn.

On deck

The WNBA Finals tip off October 17 in the Bay — the Valkyries hosting the Dream — and the NBA’s China Games continue Sunday when the Mavericks and Rockets run it back in Macao, with Kyrie Irving possibly making his return. WNBA · NBA