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It was the best of times and the worst of times for the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Paige Bueckers was hotter than fish grease against the Sparks. She scored a career-high, WNBA season-high, WNBA rookie-record and DoorDash-earning 44 points, shooting 17-21 from the field while not missing a free throw or a 3-point attempt. However, the other side of this game was cruel to the Wings.
Kelsey Plum did what stars do and hit the game-winner to put the Sparks on top, 81-80.
After the game, Bueckers discussed how she was able to find a rhythm on the road. “Just reading what the defense was giving me,” she said. “My teammates set really good screens for me. In transition, being able to get downhill, get some 3s off. Then just trying to attack, be aggressive.”
It’s hard to ask more from Bueckers, but on Dallas’ final offensive possession, she passed to an open Aziaha James for a corner 3, which she missed. Bueckers was being double-teamed, but given how great she was, no one would’ve blinked if she took a heavily contested shot to try to ice the game. The fact that she didn’t and made the right basketball play is exactly what head coach Chris Koclanes appreciates from his star player, as he explained postgame:
That last play of the game, I know everyone’s probably like, “You need to shoot that ball!” But that’s who she is. That’s how she’s wired. Like, she trusts her teammates. She’s going to pass that ball 10 times out of 10 because it’s the right play. So to have somebody like that as the future of this organization, just extremely lucky to have a kind of servant leader that Paige is.
The defeat not only spoiled what would’ve been a tremendous celebration for Bueckers, but it also officially eliminated the Wings from playoff contention. It’s a fitting way for 2025 to essentially end for the Wings. This season will be known for a lot of losing and Bueckers being an electrifying player. Against the Sparks, we saw that combination play out in a very loud way.
While Dallas’ playoff hopes died in Los Angeles, the Sparks will continue their postseason push. They are now just a half-game back of the Seattle Storm for the No. 8 seed, and while the victory on Wednesday wasn’t pretty, all wins are worth the same. The Sparks, obviously, weren’t able to stop or contain Paige in any way, but they were good enough when it mattered. They’ll need to clean things up if they want to play beyond the regular season, but thanks to Plum’s late-game execution, their playoff dreams can still be a reality.
And Dallas will now be counting the days until it’s time to empty out their lockers. Then the real work will begin for the Wings front office as they try to figure out how to build a contender around Bueckers.
