Dallas Wings Return To American Airlines Center To Face Golden State Valkyries

DALLAS — The Dallas Wings return to American Airlines Center tonight for just their second game at the arena this season, looking to snap an inconsistent stretch against one of the WNBA’s hottest teams, the Golden State Valkyries. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT, and ION carries the game nationally.

The Valkyries arrive on a two-game win streak and have won eight of their last 10 games, establishing themselves as one of the league’s toughest and most consistent groups. Golden State is 21-9 and sits third in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Dallas has dropped three of its last five games, with two of those losses coming against the Washington Mystics, including a collapse in their last matchup in which the Wings squandered a 20-point lead in the third quarter. The Wings are 19-12 and fourth in the West.

“We just have to be better,” Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale said. “I think we can compete with any team, but sometimes I think we have lapses. In this league, you can’t because every team is great. So we just gotta put 40 minutes together and we’ll be all right.”

Those lapses have resurfaced as a defining storyline of the Wings’ recent stretch. Against Washington, Dallas controlled the game before falling apart late, another example of a season-long struggle to finish games. Dallas led 59-44 at halftime Wednesday and was outscored 24-12 in the fourth quarter of the 96-92 loss.

Golden State Valkyries Enter On A Two-Game Win Streak

Dallas will be tested tonight against a Golden State team that thrives on discipline, cohesion, and execution. The Valkyries are among the league’s top defensive teams, holding the top spot in defensive efficiency, and have built momentum through efficient, physical basketball during their recent stretch. Golden State won the teams’ only previous meeting this season, 91-80 on June 17 in San Francisco. They meet again there on Aug. 17.

But while defense has been at the core of the Valkyries’ success, for the Wings, defense has become the underlying issue in their search for consistency.

Following the Mystics loss, Wings coach Jose Fernandez said physicality has been an area the Wings have battled with throughout the season, and Wings forward Alanna Smith believes there’s more nuance than simply playing harder.

“I think it’s a combo,” she said. “Golden State, they’re high IQ, they play the numbers, they’re top in defense for a reason. So it’s about being able to try and be smart about it as well as trying to get physicality into the game where we can without fouling.”

Smith also acknowledged another challenge facing a young roster entering the final stretch of the season: learning to perform through fatigue. Dallas has 12 games left after tonight, seven of them at home.

“We’ve got a young team,” Smith explained. “So learning to play through (fatigue)… you’ve got to dig deep and get a little bit more from what you’ve got in the tank because you’re going to have to. This is kind of practice for playoff basketball.”

But as the Wings navigate adversity, Ogunbowale believes the team’s younger players have handled the ups and downs with maturity. Dallas is 1-3 since the All-Star break.

“They’re pretty mature and they understand,” Ogunbowale explained. “We’re always in constant communication with them. They know this is a long season. We’re not gonna be perfect. We’re not gonna win every game. It’s just how we adjust and how we learn from these losses.”

Dallas Wings Return to American Airlines Center

Today’s game also represents another milestone for the franchise, as the Wings are back in the American Airlines Center for the second time this year. With the organization set to play its full home schedule there next season, the move reflects the team’s growth. Tonight is the second of three games at the arena in 2026. The first, a 96-91 win over the Chicago Sky on July 12, drew 13,236, and the Indiana Fever visit on Aug. 20 for the third. Dallas announced Aug. 3 that it will play its entire 2027 home schedule at American Airlines Center after 11 seasons at College Park Center in Arlington.

“It’s exciting,” Ogunbowale said. “Bigger venue, bigger fan base. More people want to come and just celebrate us, so excited to play here tonight and obviously for the future.”

But more than that, Ogunbowale also believes that growth reflects the increasing popularity of the WNBA as a whole. Through 16 road games this season, the Wings have averaged 13,198 fans, third-most in the league.

“More people are hearing about the WNBA,” Ogunbowale said. “More people are wanting to come to games. They see that Dallas Wings games are really exciting. Obviously, there are a lot of great players around the league, so when other players come, they want to come watch them as well as us. So it’s just been a great environment.”

However, the atmosphere will only matter if it can translate into results on the floor. Tonight against the Valkyries, the Wings have a chance to finally deliver a complete 40-minute performance, and to do it against one of the league’s hottest teams, no less.