DHJ Quick Take: Wings List Sims Probable, Smith Questionable For Connecticut Sun
The Dallas Wings enter Thursday’s game against the Connecticut Sun with a game status report trending in the right direction, listing guard Odyssey Sims as probable and forward/center Alanna Smith as questionable.
- Who’s trending toward a return? Odyssey Sims (left ankle) is probable after missing an extended stretch since early June.
- Who remains a game-time decision? Alanna Smith (concussion protocol) is questionable after missing Dallas’ last several games.
- What would Smith’s return mean for Dallas? It would give the Wings back the reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year in a frontcourt that has otherwise leaned on Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier.
- What’s next? Dallas plays the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, July 2 at 7 p.m. CT at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, airing on KFAA and streaming on Prime.
HARTFORD, Conn. — The Dallas Wings released their game status report Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Connecticut Sun, listing guard Odyssey Sims as probable with a left ankle injury and forward/center Alanna Smith as questionable while she continues working through the league’s concussion protocol.
It’s the first time in weeks that either player has trended toward availability rather than away from it.
Odyssey Sims Trending Toward A Return
Sims has been sidelined since suffering the ankle injury June 5 against the Los Angeles Sparks, when she was taken off the court in a wheelchair and ruled out for the remainder of the game. She missed practice entirely the following weekend, working through balance drills on a scooter rather than participating.
“We’ll continue to evaluate where Odyssey is at, but as you could see, she was a no-go today,” Fernandez said at the time.
Before the injury, Sims had started 7 of Dallas’ first 10 games as a regular ball-handler in the backcourt rotation. In those 10 games, she’s averaging 6.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.0 minutes per game, shooting 47.9% from the field and 41.7% from three. Her absence has stretched across nearly a month, and Thursday would mark her first appearance since that June 5 outing in Los Angeles if she’s cleared to play.
Alanna Smith’s Longer Road Back
Smith’s situation traces back further. She suffered a nasal fracture in Dallas’ preseason game against Las Vegas on May 3 and has played through a protective mask for much of the season. A head-to-head collision with Chicago’s Gabriela Jaquez on June 20 was initially labeled a face injury before being upgraded to a concussion, and Smith has missed Dallas’ games since, including the June 25 loss at Las Vegas and the June 28 loss to Minnesota.
Smith signed a three-year max contract with Dallas this offseason after sharing last season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, though her 2026 campaign has been an uneven one between the nasal injury and the concussion protocol. Awak Kuier has moved into the starting lineup in her absence, with Shepard also seeing an expanded frontcourt role.
In 15 games this season, Smith is averaging 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.1 minutes per game, shooting 37.9% from the field and 71.4% from the free-throw line.
Dallas has not needed either player to stay competitive; the Wings enter Thursday at 11-8. But both would add depth to a rotation that has otherwise been shorthanded for most of the past month, particularly with a four-game road trip opening in Hartford.
What’s Next For The Dallas Wings
Dallas plays the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, July 2 at 7 p.m. CT at PeoplesBank Arena, with local coverage on KFAA. It marks the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, both former UConn standouts, will play at the venue formerly known as the XL Center for the first time in their professional careers.
