Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- One of the WNBA's top teams, the Dallas Wings, face a key decision tonight as they try to stay in playoff position before the All-Star break.
- Star guard Paige Bueckers' status remains uncertain after a scary collision and subsequent rest day left her availability in question.
- The coaching staff must decide whether to risk their leading scorer or rely on veteran depth to counter a sharp shooting opponent.
The WNBA is stacked with action today. Six games are going on across the league to close out the first half of the season before the All-Star break. Heading into the back half of the season, several teams are sitting pretty; the Dallas Wings would be considered one of those teams.
They started the month of July with a six-game winning streak — a new record for the team since moving to Dallas. For a team to go from winning a total of ten games in 2025 to being within the top five of the WNBA standings this year is impressive.
Unfortunately, that historic winning streak ended on Monday night against the New York Liberty as the Wings fell just short with a 99-98 overtime loss. Tonight, they will attempt to bounce back against the Portland Fire with hopes of staying at the top of everyone's minds through the break. However, they could be without their top scorer.
Paige Bueckers is questionable for the matchup with the Fire
On Sunday, against the Los Angeles Sparks, Paige Bueckers was involved in a pretty nasty-looking collision with Nneka Ogwumike during the fourth quarter and exited to the locker room. Fans were concerned as the replay showed both Bueckers' knee being hit and her head hitting the floor.
Before the Wings game against the Liberty on Monday, Bueckers was ruled out — but there was good news. She was cleared of a concussion, so her being ruled out was just due to soreness. Now tonight, the star is questionable, with the reason being listed as rest.
Despite losing to New York, we saw the Wings step up in Bueckers' absence. Arike Ogunbowale put on a stellar performance, recording 29 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. There's a chance that, just out of extra precaution, Bueckers sits out again tonight. If that is the case, here's what things would look like.
Projected Wings starting lineup without Paige Bueckers
STARTERS | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Arike Ogunbowale | G | Sug Sutton |
Odyssey Sims | G | Aziaha James |
Azzi Fudd | G | Alysha Clark |
Jessica Shepard | F | Maddy Siegrist |
Awak Kuier | F/C | Li Yueru |
If Bueckers is unavailable again tonight, the majority of the weight will fall on the shoulders of Ogunbowale and Fudd. What makes this particular matchup interesting is that these teams have faced off once already this season. Back on June 13, the Fire handed the Wings an 84-83 loss. Bueckers had sat out of that game due to ankle soreness.
While Ogunbowale, Fudd and James had all scored 15+ points, the Fire dominated from beyond the arc. Dallas had also left 8 points at the free-throw line, shooting only 69 percent. But the fact that this game was so close without their star could make the Wings feel a little more confident heading into tonight, if they do remain Bueckers-less. It's all about cleaning up their mistakes from the first matchup and executing.
In the case of Bueckers' absence, Odyssey Sims will slide into the starting lineup. She did not play in the Wings' first matchup against Portland. Sims only recorded 5 points against New York, but she brings a strong veteran presence to the floor along with her elite defensive abilities.
Against New York, Fudd, Ogunbowale and Siegrist drained a combined 9 3-pointers — tonight they will likely need to channel that same energy. The Fire can get very hot from beyond the arc, especially with a player like Bridget Carleton, who drained six 3-pointers in the first meeting.
The Wings will also likely be able to rely on Awak Kuier much more in this matchup than they did in the first. She scored only 3 points against the Fire, but lately we've seen her get a lot more comfortable. Plus, she's another player who can get hot from 3-point land.
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