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The Dallas Wings got a major boost in the lineup on Monday when Paige Bueckers made her returnPaige Bueckers made her return to the court after sitting out Sunday’s 106-80 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. With the defending champion New York Liberty in town, the Wings certainly welcomed their All-Star rookie back in the lineup. And sure enough, Paige Bueckers foreshadowed what was to come by starting the game off with a jaw-dropping midrange jumper for the Wings’ first points.
Paige Bueckers found herself isolated against Natasha Cloud, navigated a screen from Wings teammate Luisa Geiselsöder, and used a ball fake to get Cloud to bite while drilling the midrange jumper. There appeared to be a foul called on the play as well.
As mentioned before, Bueckers’ jumper to begin the game was foreshadowing what was to come as the Wings raced out to a double digit lead by the end of the first quarter. As of publication, the Wings continued their onslaught leading by 20+ points late in the third quarter.
Through three quarters, Bueckers had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. She was shooting 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 from the three-point line and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Bueckers has continued what’s been a stellar rookie season despite some inconsistency from the Wings as a whole.
She had appeared in 20 games coming into Monday, at a little over 34 minutes per game. She’s been averaging 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals with splits of 45 percent shooting from the field, 32.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Against the Liberty, the Wings are hoping to get back in the win column and snap a two-game losing streak. The Wings currently sit at 7-19 and in 12th place in the WNBA standings. But they have reason for optimism for the future as Bueckers is certainly a franchise cornerstone.
