Golden State Valkyries at Phoenix Mercury: projection vs. actual, July 29, 2026
Saved Courtside pregame forecasts beside the verified final result. Each forecast below was captured before this game tipped off.
How the saved forecasts compared
13 comparable playersAcross the players with both a saved pregame forecast and a final result, the average absolute miss was 4.4 minutes and 5.3 points. These are descriptive results for this game, not a model accuracy guarantee.
Monique Akoa Makani played 14.6 minutes against 25.6 projected, a 11.0-minute gap in this sample.
Janelle Salaun scored 13 points against 12.6 projected, a 0.4-point gap.
| Player | Minutes Proj / Actual | Difference | Points Proj / Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa ThomasPhoenix Mercury · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 34.1 / 38.1 | +4.0 | 14.0 / 25 | +11.0 |
| DeWanna BonnerPhoenix Mercury · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 28.0 / 33.9 | +5.9 | 10.6 / 17 | +6.4 |
| Kahleah CopperPhoenix Mercury · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 28.4 / 33.6 | +5.2 | 17.9 / 27 | +9.1 |
| Monique Akoa MakaniPhoenix Mercury · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 25.6 / 14.6 | -11.0 | 10.3 / 0 | -10.3 |
| Natasha MackPhoenix Mercury · BenchForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 20.3 / 18.0 | -2.3 | 7.4 / 8 | +0.6 |
| Sami WhitcombPhoenix Mercury · BenchForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 14.3 / 12.9 | -1.4 | 3.9 / 0 | -3.9 |
| Cecilia ZandalasiniGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 18.7 / 22.9 | +4.2 | 7.4 / 16 | +8.6 |
| Kaila CharlesGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 20.1 / 28.5 | +8.4 | 5.5 / 10 | +4.5 |
| Kayla ThorntonGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 25.0 / 24.8 | -0.2 | 8.1 / 6 | -2.1 |
| Kiah StokesGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 20.3 / 18.2 | -2.1 | 3.2 / 2 | -1.2 |
| Veronica BurtonGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 28.7 / 33.8 | +5.1 | 10.4 / 15 | +4.6 |
| Janelle SalaunGolden State Valkyries · BenchForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 21.4 / 23.8 | +2.4 | 12.6 / 13 | +0.4 |
| Kaitlyn ChenGolden State Valkyries · BenchForecast saved Jul 29, 9:36 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 16.7 / 12.1 | -4.6 | 9.8 / 4 | -5.8 |
The clock matters.
We use each player's saved pre-tip forecast and compare it with a validated final box score. The table includes only players for whom both records are available. “Difference” is actual minus projected. Average absolute miss measures the size of those differences without cancellations.
Missing forecasts are not filled in after the game. The recap does not claim that the displayed sample represents every player or every Courtside prediction.
See the combined WNBA projection track record
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