Natalie Nakase collapsed on the Chase Center floor. Then she drew up the play that won the game.
The Golden State Valkyries erased a 16-point deficit to beat Dallas in a wild Game 3, but the most harrowing moment wasn't on the scoreboard, it was their head coach going down with 1:40 left and getting back up seconds later to call the next play.
In brief
Nakase went down. The Valkyries were trailing. Both got back up.
With 1 minute and 40 seconds left in a winner-take-all playoff game, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was in the middle of an animated argument with a referee near the sideline at Chase Center in San Francisco. Then she wasn't standing anymore.
With 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, right after Gabby Williams hit a 3-pointer to get Golden State within one point, Nakase collapsed during a heated conversation with a referee. The second-year head coach dropped to her knees, placing her head and hands on the hardwood. Assistant coaches and athletic trainer Katelin Knox rushed to her aid.
She was back in the huddle before the next inbound pass.
She immediately started drawing up a play just moments after the episode. ESPN play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco noted the incident during the broadcast. "Natalie Nakase having some sort of an episode on the floor for Golden State," Ruocco said. The game went on. So did Nakase.
The Golden State Valkyries won a late replay review to finish a rally from 16 points down and beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 on Friday night in a wild deciding Game 3 of their first-round WNBA playoff series. With the win, they earned their first playoff series win in franchise history and will advance to the WNBA Semifinals, where they will face the Las Vegas Aces.
Down 16. In the third quarter. At home.
The Valkyries had no business being in this game for most of the second half. Golden State missed three straight 3-pointers and nine shots in a row to start the third quarter as Dallas used a 9-0 run to take its largest lead at 53-37. Arike Ogunbowale, coming off a WNBA playoff-record 45-point performance in Game 2, was doing it again. Ogunbowale knocked down an off-balance jumper with 3:13 to play that put Dallas up by five and finished with 30 points.
Then Gabby Williams took over. Williams scored all but two of her points after halftime. The Valkyries erased most of the deficit with a 12-2 run to close the third quarter, setting up a back-and-forth fourth quarter in which they gained the lead, lost it, then got it back for good. Williams hit a go-ahead 17-footer with 1:17 remaining.
Veronica Burton had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Tiffany Hayes scored 18 points off the bench, Kaila Charles hit a tying 3-pointer with 6:51 left, and Kiah Stokes pulled down 13 rebounds.
With 6.9 seconds left, Paige Bueckers missed a running jump shot and Veronica Burton grabbed the rebound to end it. Bueckers had 17 points with six assists but shot only 3 for 14 for Dallas, making all 10 of her free throws.
Ogunbowale fought, too
Give Dallas this: they were not done easily. Ogunbowale had already written her name into the record books Wednesday night, when she scored a WNBA playoff-record 45 points, including a clutch game-tying three in regulation, to lift the Wings past the Valkyries in overtime and force a decisive Game 3. In the finale, she was at one point limping off the court with an apparent groin or thigh injury, but came back within a few minutes and continued to spark Dallas' offense.
Fresh off a historically efficient Game 1 (21 points on 9-for-10 shooting), Paige Bueckers struggled and was held to 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting in that same Game 2 loss. She was better Friday but still couldn't find a consistent rhythm against Golden State's defense.
A franchise that didn't exist two years ago is in the semifinals
The second-seeded Valkyries won a playoff series for the first time. Last year, they became the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season. Now, in year two, they're in the semifinals. Gabby Williams led the way in the series, averaging 25 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Before the game, Nakase had told her team exactly what was expected. That prompted Nakase to declare: "We made a promise to ourselves we are going to play the best four quarters of our lives." They needed every one of those quarters, and then some.
The Valkyries said Nakase was feeling lightheaded and exhausted when she collapsed, but said she was fine after the game and is expected to coach Sunday's Game 1 of the semifinals. Valkyries assistant coach Kasib Powell spoke with reporters after the game in Nakase's place and said she was "fine," in great spirits and was talking and laughing back in the locker room.
Gabby Williams said: "We're glad she's alright."
Game 1 of the semifinals tips off Sunday, October 4, at 1 p.m. at Chase Center, where Golden State will host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. A'ja Wilson scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Aces beat the Indiana Fever 94-83 in Game 3 of their first-round series to advance. Wilson dominated that series, averaging 32.0 points and 11.7 rebounds while shooting 64.6 percent from the field across the three games.
A two-year-old franchise, a 16-point comeback, a coach back on her feet in under 30 seconds. Nakase did not attend the postgame press conference. She left assistant coach Kasib Powell to field questions from reporters.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
