While the Dallas Wings are still in rebuild mode as the second-worst team in the WNBA, they have Paige Bueckers, one of the most prolific rookies in WNBA history. And after her historic 44-point game against the Los Angeles Sparks, it's obvious that Bueckers can singlehandedly win the Wings a game if opponents don't take them seriously.
But in a must-win game with a shorthanded roster, the Golden State Valkyries took care of business and defeated the Wings 90-81, snapping a 3-game losing streak. The Valkyries held Paige Bueckers to only 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. And while Bueckers did collect nine assists, Golden State's defense snapped her 30-game scoring streak of double-digit points to start her career.
Kaila Charles: The Primary Defender
The Valkyries' defensive game plan began with Bueckers' former teammate Kaila Charles, whom the Wings waived earlier this season. With Tiffany Hayes and Carla Leite out with lower-body injuries, Natalie Nakase used Charles to track Bueckers both on and off the ball. If Bueckers had the ball, Charles was right on her hip, making things harder for her. If Bueckers was off the ball, Charles was face-guarding her so she couldn't get the ball back.
And beyond her much-needed individual defense, she gave the Valkyries 16 points on an efficient 5-of-10 from the field. In her post-game press conference, Charles spoke about the confidence her teammates and coaching staff gave her and how it sparked a huge performance.
“Honestly, I just felt a lot more comfortable. Since I've been with this team, they've just spoke a lot of life and confidence and belief [in me]. I fit really well with the system coach Nat [Nakase] runs and today I knew I was going to have a really big defensive assignment. Paige is probably the rookie of the year if we're being real. But I was just locked in on doing the little things, [sticking] to the game plan… my main focus was trying to be a defensive stopper.”
It was an impressive performance for Charles, a player who's been through the wringer, going from one 7-day contract to the next. Her play as of late earned her a rest-of-season contract this past Friday and games like this show why Nakase trusts her with the toughest assignments.
The Valkyries' collective team defense
But Charles was just Phase One of the defensive game plan on Bueckers. With her as the point-of-attack defender on Bueckers, the Valkyries funneled Bueckers toward the help, opting to double her or hedge strongly on her drives to get the ball out of her hand. To the rookie of the year frontrunner's credit, she took advantage of the hyper-attention on her, collecting nine assists with her playmaking in advantageous situations.
But Nakase and Golden State's willingness to let anyone but Bueckers beat them paid off. After the game Nakase praised Charles' defense on Bueckers and emphasized that stopping her was a team effort.
“Her defense! We matched her up with Paige (Bueckers), and because Paige just had a 44-point game, we all watched it, we all saw her,” Nakase said. She was particularly impressed by Bueckers' skill level at this stage of her career, which also explains why she game planned around stopping her first.
“She is an elite scorer in this league. Rookie or no rookie, that's impressive, what she's been doing, and just her ability to do the step-backs, to do the floaters, to do the deep threes. We knew it was going to be a team effort, so we matched her up with Kai [Charles]. But at the end of the day, it was a team defense, so credit to our whole team being locked in because she is just not easy to cover. She demands a lot of attention. Credit to our team, and especially to defend without fouling, is huge.”
Veronica Burton: The Closer
Still, slowing Bueckers down was only half the battle. It took all 90 of the Valkyries' points to take down the Wings, and a big part of that came from Veronica Burton. She finished with her fourth double of the season, collecting 25 points and 13 assists, alongside five rebounds and four blocks. It was the first game in WNBA history a player collected 25+ points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds, and 4+ blocks, another historic statline for Burton.
“Whatever we ask of Vee [Burton], she executes,” Nakase said about Burton's performance in her post-game press conference. She told reporters she basically told Burton she was going to play her the entire game. Nakase credited Burton for her mental toughness and her ability to lead the offense as the floor general of the team.
“She's probably one of the toughest players I've ever coached, and the fact that I can yell at her in game time, and she respects that. But I also respect her, and her support. You could tell even when she's sitting there supporting her teammates, ‘keep going you guys, keep taking that shot.’ All those little things, V is always on. I couldn't ask for a better point guard right now. I think she's really a big part of why we're winning, and I said she's our heartbeat, but she's also our leader. She is our solid leader right now.””
It was a much-needed win for the Valkyries in their pursuit of the playoffs. With the Storm's win off of Nneka Ogwumike's game-winner and the Fever's loss to the Lynx, Golden State sits just ahead of Indiana at 7th thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Valkyries will get five days off before facing a weekend back-to-back at home.
