The Dallas Wings 2025 WNBA campaign is starting to look up after an incredibly rough start. They have won five of their last seven matchups — heating up at just the right time, as the competition is tightening up.
Their most recent win came against the Phoenix Mercury with a score of 98-89. This win was impressive, not only because the Mercury are a contending team in the league, but Dallas was also down to only 8 active players. Dallas' three rookies, Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly, put on a show, and were able to pull out the W.
Arike Ogunbowale was one of the inactive players in that game due to injury. During the Wings' matchup against the Washington Mystics last Saturday, Ogunbowale suffered a thumb injury. This injury is obviously a blow to the Wings' roster. Ogunbowale is averaging 16.8 points, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She is a staple for the team and has been the top scorer in many of their games so far this season.
Will Arike Ogunbowale play tonight against the Phoenix Mercury?
Arike Ogunbowale will sit out for a second-straight game tonight. The Wings will go into their second back-to-back matchup with Phoenix without one of their stars.
Arike Ogunbowale (thumb) ruled out for Monday.
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) July 6, 2025
Ogunbowale will not be the only Wing sitting out tonight. Dijonai Carrington and Maddy Siegrist are also inactive for tonight's matchup. All three players seem to be nearing their returns, which is good news for this Wings squad.
We will most likely see starts from rookies JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James again in Ogunbowale's absence — alongside the Wings leading scorer, Paige Bueckers. Fans were not necessarily expecting the banged-up Wings squad to put on such a performance in the first Phoenix matchup. The three rookies were able to really showcase their talents, putting up a cumulative 68 points, and all played heavy minutes.
One of the Mercury's stars has been ruled out for tonight as well. Kahleah Copper, who scored 33 points in their last meeting, will sit out with a hamstring injury. This could allow the Wings' young squad to pull off back-to-back wins against Phoenix, amid all the injuries.