Golden State Valkyries Suffer Injury Loss During Atlanta Dream Game
The Golden State Valkyries have been scuffling. Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Dream, Golden State had dropped six of its last 10 games. This skid has seen the Valkyries lose their hold on a WNBA playoff spot.
Looking to get back on track against a tough Atlanta Dream squad, Golden State entered this contest shorthanded. All-Star forward Kayla Thornton will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
While the Valkyries knew they would be without Thornton entering this game, another injury development emerged on Monday that threatened to impact Golden State's main rotation even further.
When the team announced its injury report for Tuesday night’s game in Atlanta, Golden State revealed that forward Monique Billings was questionable to play due to a left ankle injury.
Billings ended up being cleared to play, and even received her eighth start of the season on Tuesday, but that was short lived. Playing just nine minutes against Atlanta, Billings left early with an ankle injury.
It was later revealed she would not return — another major blow to Golden State’s rotation.
Billings has been ruled out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. Didn't see a play where she tweaked it, but that's a big loss for the #Valkyries this game. https://t.co/wwXNFlNAgU
— Nathan Canilao (@nathancanilao) July 30, 2025
As they attempt to become the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season, the Valkyries will have to do so despite some injury misfortune. While it remains to be seen if Billings will miss any extended time, the injury to Thornton and now the in-game loss of another key forward has made things challenging for Golden State.
Entering Tuesday, Billings owned season averages of 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20 games. Midway through the third quarter, Matt Lively of CBS Sports Bay Area reported Billings had still not returned to Golden State's bench.
Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.