The Dallas Wings were defeated 84-80 by the Golden State Valkyries in a competitive Thursday night contest. Despite the defeat, Paige Bueckers became the Wings' all-time rookie scoring leader — another impressive accomplishment in what has been a tremendous all-around season for the guard. After the game, Bueckers shared the spotlight when asked about the feat.
“It’s really about the team and all about the organization and how much they’ve embraced who I am and what I am as a basketball player, but also what I am as a human,” Bueckers told reporters. “That’s why I chose basketball because it was a team sport and because I got to share the floor with people that I love and people that I want to go to war with.
“So, however many points, if it was zero, if it was 15, 20, whatever that looks like, I’m just happy to be out there with the team to be able to celebrate that together.”
Bueckers continues to establish herself as the Rookie of the Year front-runner. In addition to setting the Wings' all-time rookie scoring record, Bueckers is now fourth in WNBA history in points scored by a rookie. She is now at 650 points for the season, trailing A'ja Wilson (682) for third place all-time. Seimone Augustus (744) and Caitlin Clark (769) lead the way.
Paige Bueckers makes history, but Wings lose to Valkyries
In the end, however, the Wings lost to the Valkyries. Bueckers commented on the defeat.
“Sometimes in this league, it's as simple as it's a make or miss league,” the Wings rookie said. “We felt like we were mostly locked in on the defensive end. The Valkyries hit some really tough shots and they made some plays down the stretch, but we felt like we were in the game the entire time and we were executing on both sides of the floor.
“Obviously within a 40-minute game there's gonna be slippage. But for the most part, we were proud of what we did. And then obviously… We will go back and look at the film and see things that we need to clean up.”
The loss was far from ideal. The Wings saw their league-worst record fall to 9-33 as a result. Nevertheless, Bueckers' greatness continued to shine. Although she deflected individual praise and shined the light on the organization and her teammates, head coach Chris Koclanes did not shy away from discussing Paige Bueckers' success.
“Yeah, I think, you know, she lets the game come to her, and she does it in a variety of ways, right? So, you know, we use a screener at times, so it opens up teammates,” Koclanes said. “And then that in turn opens her up later, try to get her the ball in different areas of the floor where she can play a little one-on-one and see where the help is coming from.
“And then, of course, like, it's a ball-screen league and ultimately it starts and ends with ball-screens, but sometimes if you can disguise it, get a little action before, and now those coverages are a little late. Now she has another second to be able to see and make a play and find space. So, yeah, just happy for P as she continues to grow in this league and with this team.”
Bueckers and the Wings' next game is scheduled for Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Sparks at 6 PM EST.
