Aces vs. Valkyries Recap: Stokes' Boards and Wilson's 24 Cash

The Valkyries beat the Aces 71-60. Golden State led 34-31 at halftime, won the third quarter 22-17 to go up 56-48 and held on in a low-scoring game. The board work made the difference: Golden State out-rebounded Las Vegas 52-25, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds to the Aces' 2, and scored 34 points in the paint to Las Vegas' 18. The Aces shot 21-62 from the field. Four DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, all of them pregame.

What cashed

A'ja Wilson 20+ points (-376 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: She scored 20+ in 9 of her last 10, including 36, 22 and 38 in the three games against Indiana. The one game under 20 in that stretch was 18 on Sept 23. - What happened: 24 points on 8-21 shooting, with 8-11 at the line, in 35 minutes. That cleared the line by 4. - Worth watching: It took 21 shots to get there, so the cushion was modest. At a price this heavy, the workload is the reason to look, not the number.

Jackie Young 5+ assists (-318 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: She had 5+ assists in 10 of her last 10, including 7 in 40 minutes in the Game 3 clincher. Dana Evans was out, which left Las Vegas one backup on the perimeter. - What happened: 5 assists in 38 minutes, with 2 turnovers. She landed right on the line. - Worth watching: Her minutes stayed near 40 again, which is what keeps this line in play. It cleared with nothing to spare, so the price matters.

Kiah Stokes 6+ rebounds (-161 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: She grabbed 6+ boards in 8 of her last 10, including 13 in 35 minutes in Game 3, and she drew the A'ja Wilson matchup inside. - What happened: 14 rebounds in 27 minutes, 7 offensive and 7 defensive. That cleared the line by 8. - Worth watching: She did it in fewer minutes than her Game 3 night. If the role holds, a 6+ line has a lot of room.

Kiah Stokes 10+ points + rebounds + assists (-207 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: She reached 10+ PRA in 8 of her last 10, with 22 (13 rebounds) in Friday's Game 3. - What happened: 0 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists, for 16 total. That cleared the line by 6. - Worth watching: She scored no points and still cleared the line on rebounds alone. Her rebounding is the engine here, so the combo and the rebound line follow the same logic.

How the game played out

Golden State won the first quarter 22-18 and Las Vegas answered with a 13-12 second to stay within 3 at the half. The Valkyries took the third 22-17 and the fourth 15-12. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Chelsea Gray had 16 for Las Vegas.

Trends to watch

• Offensive rebounding: Golden State had 17 offensive boards, 7 from Stokes and 5 from Kayla Thornton, who also had 11 total rebounds. Las Vegas had 2.
• Workload: Young played 38 minutes and Wilson 35. Both carried heavy minutes for a Las Vegas team with Jewell Loyd, Stephanie Talbot, Dana Evans and NaLyssa Smith all out.
• Turnovers: Las Vegas had 6 total turnovers to Golden State's 14, and each side scored 11 points off the other's giveaways.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More on player props, american odds and our WNBA hub.