Golden State Valkyries vs Seattle Storm Picks and Prediction for Friday May 8 2026
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The Golden State Valkyries open the season on the road Friday night against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 PM on May 8, 2026, with coverage available on ION. Golden State enters the matchup as a 5.5-point favorite with a moneyline price of -238, while Seattle is listed at +195. The total for the game is set at 156.5 points. Get in on all the WNBA has to offer with our free WNBA picks.
Previous Game Recap
Golden State and Seattle recently met in preseason action, with the Valkyries earning a 78-76 win. Seattle led 42-33 at halftime after a strong second quarter, but Golden State answered by outscoring the Storm 21-14 in the third quarter and 24-20 in the fourth. The Valkyries finished the game with a strong second-half push and closed out the narrow two-point victory.
Golden State received a balanced scoring effort in the win. Veronica Burton scored 14 points and added three assists, while Miela Sowah also scored 14 points off the bench on efficient shooting. Kate Martin added eight points and seven rebounds, while Kaitlyn Chen contributed 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds. The Valkyries shot 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range, which helped overcome 18 turnovers and a 56 percent mark at the free-throw line.
Seattle was led by Flau’jae Johnson, who scored 20 points while shooting efficiently from the field. Zia Cooke added 19 points off the bench, while Dominique Malonga finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jade Melbourne had nine points and 3 assists, and Lexie Brown added 6 points as well. The Storm shot 34 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc, but the second-half scoring dip proved costly in the close loss.
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Valkyries Looking to Carry Over Their Late Push
The Golden State Valkyries enter the regular season at 0-0 after recently winning over Seattle 78-76 in preseason action. Before that, dating back to last season, Golden State recently lost to Minnesota 75-74, recently lost to Minnesota 101-72, recently lost to Minnesota 72-53, and recently lost to Seattle 74-73. The Valkyries have been involved in several tight games across their recent schedule, including one-point losses and the two-point preseason win over the Storm.
In the recent preseason win over Seattle, the Valkyries scored 78 points while shooting 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. Golden State also finished with 35 rebounds, 16 assists, nine steals, and three blocks in that matchup.
The biggest strength for Golden State from the provided information is perimeter shooting. The Valkyries made 15 three-pointers on 33 attempts in the preseason win over Seattle, and that outside shooting helped fuel the comeback after trailing at halftime. If Golden State can again create efficient looks from deep, the Valkyries have a clear path to controlling this opener.
Storm Trying to Protect Home Court
The Seattle Storm enter the season at 0-0 after recently winning over Portland 91-81 in preseason action. Before that, Seattle recently lost to Golden State 78-76. Dating back to last season, the Storm recently lost to Las Vegas 74-73, recently won over Las Vegas 86-83, and recently lost to Las Vegas 102-77. Seattle has played several close games recently, but the Storm will be looking for a cleaner finish after losing narrowly to Golden State in the preseason meeting.
In the recent preseason win over Portland, the Storm scored 91 points while finishing with 43 rebounds, 16 assists, eight steals, and four blocks. Seattle shot just 34 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range in that win, but the Storm made 32 free throws and used rebounding to help create separation.
The main strength for Seattle is rebounding. The Storm grabbed 43 rebounds against Portland and also had 30 rebounds in the previous preseason meeting against Golden State. However, shooting efficiency remains a concern based on the Portland game, where Seattle still won despite shooting only 34 percent overall. Against a Golden State team that shot well from the perimeter in the earlier matchup, Seattle may need a more efficient offensive performance.
Golden State Valkyries vs Seattle Storm Picks and Prediction
Golden State Valkyries vs Seattle Storm Pick
- Pick: Golden State Valkyries -5.5
Golden State is the pick because the Valkyries already recently won over Seattle and showed strong second-half finishing ability in that matchup. The Valkyries also shot 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range in the preseason meeting, which stands out compared to Seattle shooting 34 percent in its most recent game against Portland. Seattle did score 91 points in that win over Portland, but Golden State’s perimeter shooting and recent head-to-head result give the Valkyries the edge to cover the number.
Golden State Valkyries vs Seattle Storm Total Pick
- Pick: Over 156.5
I am leaning toward the over because Seattle’s most recent preseason game reached 172 total points, and the earlier Golden State-Seattle matchup finished with 154 total points, just below this number. Golden State showed strong shooting efficiency in that meeting, while Seattle followed it by scoring 91 points against Portland. If Golden State’s three-point shooting carries over and Seattle continues to generate offense at home, this matchup has enough scoring potential to push past the total.
Final Score Prediction: Golden State Valkyries 84 – Seattle Storm 76.
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