This game · 126 FGA|Season model · 290 games · 39,575 shots
Golden State Valkyries won on finishing, not shot quality.

led the way with 25 points on 9-for-19 (47%), headlined by 5-for-7 in the paint — 3.5 more than expected overall on a night most other looks were tougher.
- Phoenix Mercury created 3.6 more expected points from field-goal attempts.
- Phoenix Mercury outperformed expected value by 3.7 points on finishing.
- Q2 swung the look battle — Phoenix Mercury built a +5.0 expected-point edge in that period.
Shot quality
Shot diet
Phoenix Mercury got the cleaner diet — 29% rim or corner looks vs 18% for Golden State Valkyries.

bailed out the offense from the midrange — 3/3 from long midrange, a zone most players avoid for good reason.
This is where the shot diets diverged most — 31% of Phoenix's attempts came from above-arc threes vs 41% of Golden State's; Golden State tilted here more (41% vs 31%).
This is where the shot diets diverged most — 31% of Phoenix's attempts came from above-arc threes vs 41% of Golden State's; Golden State tilted here more (41% vs 31%).
Possession context
PHX ran more early offense in this game.
Phoenix Mercury got 31% of FGA in transition (1.00 expected pts/att) vs 15% for Golden State Valkyries (1.00 expected pts/att).
Inferred from ESPN play-by-play — transition, steals, and offensive rebounds before each FGA. Not official possession tracking.
Process scorecard
Full process edge
Golden State Valkyries won by 8.9 pts — SQ edge said PHX.
Phoenix Mercury got the better looks, but Golden State Valkyries won the full process battle by 8.9 pts.
Process edge blends expected points from shots, finishing, free throws, turnover cost, and second-chance value — not just who found the better offense.
Tracked FGA
ESPN box score
Process value (pts)
Process total = expected pts from shots + finishing + free throws − turnover cost + second-chance value (1.05 expected pts per OReb). SQ edge alone ignores the last three terms.
Player shots
Key insightWilliams's strongest zone was Paint — 71% from Paint (5/7) vs. a 41% expectation.
Expected value is an estimate from public shot data — location, shooter history, and shot clock. No defender distance, closeout speed, spacing, or proprietary tracking.
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