Toronto Tempo at Golden State Valkyries Picks and Prediction for Sunday, August 2, 2026

Chase Center in San Francisco hosts Sunday night's WNBA matchup at 8:30 PM ET as the Toronto Tempo (10-18) visit the Golden State Valkyries (19-9) in the first of two consecutive home games between these teams this week. The Valkyries lead the season series 1-0, having defeated the Tempo 83-75 in their last matchup on July 8, Janelle Salaun led the Valkyries with 26 points in that contest. Toronto has dropped five straight following a narrow two-point win over the Liberty, including a lopsided 104-72 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night, a defeat in which the Tempo led by a point after one quarter before Minnesota erupted for a 63-36 burst across the second and third quarters. The Valkyries meanwhile dropped to third in the WNBA standings following a narrow 91-89 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday and are looking to reassert their top-three identity against a struggling Tempo road team. Read on to find out who comes out on top in our Tempo vs. Valkyries prediction. Get our top WNBA Predictions and increase your bankroll!

Golden State: The League's Best Defense, Salaun Emerging, Williams Day-to-Day

Golden State leads the WNBA in team defense, allowing 76.9 points while holding opponents to 42.5% shooting. That defensive identity, built around physicality, rotational discipline, and the kind of collective effort that reflects the organizational culture Natalie Nakase has installed, is the engine that has driven a 19-9 record despite being only 12th in the league in scoring offense at 82 points per game. The Valkyries are 11-4 in home games and have protected Chase Center with a 4-1 mark in their last five home contests, a home-court advantage that reflects both the Chase Center atmosphere and the Valkyries' familiarity with the venue's hardwood.

The Valkyries' 91-89 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday featured four of the five starters committing at least five fouls, both Zandalasini and Kaila Charles fouled out, after the team was outscored 17-0 from the free-throw line on a night when Phoenix attempted a WNBA season-high 43 free throws. The foul trouble was the exception rather than the rule; across their last 10 games, Golden State has averaged 73.8 opponent points per game, the best opponent-scoring average of any team in the league. Veronica Burton is shooting 41.6% and averaging 12.0 points, while Salaun is averaging 12.7 points over the last 10 games, the two-guard combination that drives Golden State's offensive identity when Gabby Williams is limited.

Gabby Williams is listed as day-to-day in reconditioning, the Valkyries' All-Star starter whose absence against Phoenix created the roster compression that led to the foul trouble. If Williams is available Sunday, Golden State's defensive ceiling rises considerably. Even without her, six Valkyries players scored in double figures against Phoenix despite the loss, a distributional offensive quality that makes them competitive without relying on any single creator.

Toronto: Five Straight Losses, Morrow the Reliable Floor, Sykes and Harrison Out

The Tempo are 1-9 in their previous 10 games and have averaged 96.3 opponent points per game over that stretch, a defensive number that is the starkest possible contrast to the Valkyries' 73.8. Toronto's season has been defined by promising offensive production, they average 11.2 more points per game (88.1) than Golden State gives up (76.9), being consistently overwhelmed by defensive deficiencies that have cost them games against every quality opponent they have faced.

Aneesah Morrow is averaging 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Tempo, the one consistent two-way performer whose interior presence gives Toronto a reliable offensive reference point even when the perimeter shots are not falling. Laura Juskaite scored 19 points and Marina Mabrey added 16 in the Minnesota loss, Mabrey's creative playmaking and scoring capacity from all three levels remains Toronto's most dangerous offensive weapon, and her individual quality gives the Tempo the one realistic path to pushing the total from their side.

The injury picture is damaging heading into Chase Center. Brittney Sykes is out with a foot injury, and Isabelle Harrison is day-to-day with a knee problem, Harrison's 24-point performance in the season series loss to the Valkyries on July 8 made her the Tempo's primary individual threat, and her uncertain availability removes the interior scoring that gave Golden State's frontcourt the most competitive defensive challenge of their first meeting. Toronto has struggled away from home, going 1-4 in their last five road outings, a road-specific record that reinforces the structural case against a team carrying five consecutive losses into Chase Center.

Tempo vs. Valkyries Picks

• Money Line Pick: Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries are 11-4 in home games and lead the WNBA in defensive efficiency at 76.9 points allowed, the most suppressive defensive environment in the league against an offense that has been outscored by 96.3 points per game over its last 10 contests. Golden State won the first meeting 83-75, lead the season series 1-0, and face a Toronto team without Sykes, with Harrison questionable, and riding five consecutive losses. Take the Valkyries to win at Chase Center.

• Over/Under Pick: Under 168.5

Golden State leads the league in scoring defense at 76.9 points allowed per contest and has played to the Under in six of seven overall games, the most consistent Under trend of any team in the Western Conference. The Valkyries' defensive identity specifically suppresses the transition offense and three-point volume that Toronto uses most effectively to generate scoring, and Chase Center's hardwood has been one of the WNBA's most reliable Under environments all season. Toronto averages 88.1 points per game, but that number has been accumulated against the league's average defensive resistance, Golden State's 42.5% opponent shooting percentage represents a ceiling suppressor that the Tempo have not encountered in their worst recent stretch. Golden State averages 10.6 made three-pointers per game, 1.6 more than Toronto gives up, but Golden State's offense is secondary to their defense in shaping this total. Take the Under 168.5 and back the Valkyries' defensive identity to keep Sunday's game well below the posted number.