Golden State Valkyries at Minnesota Lynx: projection vs. actual, August 24, 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
12 comparable playersAcross the players with both a saved pregame forecast and a final result, the average absolute miss was 5.9 minutes and 5.4 points. These are descriptive results for this game, not a model accuracy guarantee.
Kayla Thornton played 7.9 minutes against 23.7 projected, a 15.8-minute gap in this sample.
Janelle Salaun scored 12 points against 12.5 projected, a 0.5-point gap.
| Player | Minutes Proj / Actual | Difference | Points Proj / Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayla McBrideMinnesota Lynx · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 33.6 / 33.4 | -0.2 | 21.0 / 12 | -9.0 |
| Maya CaldwellMinnesota Lynx · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 10.7 / 25.4 | +14.7 | 2.5 / 9 | +6.5 |
| Napheesa CollierMinnesota Lynx · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 32.8 / 31.7 | -1.1 | 20.6 / 9 | -11.6 |
| Natasha HowardMinnesota Lynx · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 31.0 / 27.7 | -3.3 | 13.6 / 13 | -0.6 |
| Olivia MilesMinnesota Lynx · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 32.4 / 27.8 | -4.6 | 21.7 / 8 | -13.7 |
| Nia CoffeyMinnesota Lynx · BenchForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 19.7 / 15.3 | -4.4 | 4.4 / 5 | +0.6 |
| Cecilia ZandalasiniGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 22.1 / 29.5 | +7.4 | 9.1 / 18 | +8.9 |
| Gabby WilliamsGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 24.0 / 30.0 | +6.0 | 12.6 / 15 | +2.4 |
| Kayla ThorntonGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 23.7 / 7.9 | -15.8 | 7.1 / 0 | -7.1 |
| Veronica BurtonGolden State Valkyries · StarterForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 28.3 / 30.1 | +1.8 | 12.5 / 14 | +1.5 |
| Janelle SalaunGolden State Valkyries · BenchForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 20.2 / 28.0 | +7.8 | 12.5 / 12 | -0.5 |
| Tiffany HayesGolden State Valkyries · BenchForecast saved Aug 24, 7:35 PM EDT · Model gameplay-rotation-observer.v1 | 22.0 / 18.3 | -3.7 | 12.1 / 14 | +1.9 |
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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