Valkyries beat Sun for franchise-record 7th straight win

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Veronica Burton scored 17 points, Janelle Salaun had 16 points and four 3-pointers off the bench, and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Connecticut Sun 79-64 on Friday night for a franchise-record seventh straight victory.

Golden State (17-7) has won 11 of its last 13 games to move into a first-place tie with Minnesota and Las Vegas in the WNBA standings. The Valkyries’ only losses in that span came against the Lynx and at the Aces.

Golden State went on an 11-0 run in the second half to go ahead 60-44. Burton converted a three-point play with 31 seconds left in the third quarter to become the first Golden State player to reach double-digit points. She added a driving layup just before the buzzer for a 54-44 lead.

Golden State opened the fourth on a 6-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Burton, for a 16-point lead.

Diamond Miller scored 14 points for Connecticut (5-18). Charlisse Leger-Walker and Olivia Nelson-Ododa each scored 12 and Aaliyah Edwards had 11. Brittney Griner (left quad strain), Aneesah Morrow (reconditioning) and Saniya Rivers (left ankle sprain) did not play.

WINGS 108, TEMPO 95

MONTREAL (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 34 points and Dallas beat Toronto 108-95 in front of a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,996 at Bell Centre.

The game broke the regular-season mark of 20,711 set in Washington on Sept. 19, 2024, against Indiana. The league’s two largest crowds — both 22,076 — came in Detroit in the 2003 and 2007 WNBA Finals.

Jessica Shepard had 20 points and rebounds to help the Wings (15-8) sweep a four-game trip that also saw them beat the Tempo in Toronto. Arike Ogunbowale also had 20 points, and Azzi Fudd added 13.

Bueckers was 13 of 22 from the field and had six assists and six rebounds.

Marina Mabrey had 34 points for Toronto (9-13), hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers. Laura Juskaite added 25 points. The Tempo have lost four straight.

SPARKS 102, SKY 87

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike had 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Erica Wheeler added 15 points and eight assists, and Los Angeles beat Chicago.

Ogwumike sank a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter and Dearica Hamby added a driving layup on the Sparks’ next possession for a 90-80 lead.

Hamby made a reverse layup with 1:36 remaining for a 97-87 lead and she blocked Courtney Vandersloot’s shot at the other end to seal it.

Hamby, Rae Burrell and Ariel Atkins each scored 17 points as all five starters scored in double figures for Los Angeles (10-11). Ogwumike reached 3,000 career field goals early in the fourth on a 3-pointer.

Kamilla Cardoso, Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor each scored 15 points for Chicago (7-15). Azura Stevens and Jacy Sheldon each scored 10. Skylar Diggins (knee) did not play