DHJ Quick Take: Alanna Smith Out as Wings Visit Storm
Alanna Smith will miss the Dallas Wings‘ road game at Seattle on Monday with a facial injury and is not with the team. She is one of three rotation players ruled out for the matchup.
- Who is out for the Dallas Wings in Seattle? Alanna Smith, Alysha Clark, and Odyssey Sims are all out, along with developmental player Haley Jones for a coach’s decision.
- Why is Alanna Smith sidelined? Smith is dealing with a facial injury and did not travel with the team.
- Who is in the starting lineup? Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, Awak Kuier, and Jessica Shepard.
- How do the teams stack up? Dallas is 10-6 and beat Seattle 79-56 in their first meeting, while the Storm sit at 3-14.
SEATTLE — Alanna Smith will sit out Monday night when the Dallas Wings visit the Seattle Storm, leaving the team without one of its veteran frontcourt defenders for a meeting at Climate Pledge Arena.
Dallas listed Smith as out with a facial injury and confirmed she did not travel with the team, according to the club’s official game status report. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. CT, with the broadcast on KFAA.
Smith, 29, has played in 15 of the Wings’ 16 games this season and started 7 of them, averaging 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. The Stanford product is shooting 37.9% from the field, and while her scoring has dipped from earlier in her career, she has given Dallas length and interior defense in a rotating frontcourt role. She also missed Saturday’s 93-92 comeback win over the Chicago Sky.
Dallas Wings Injury Report
Smith is one of three rotation players unavailable in Seattle. Alysha Clark is out with a left leg injury after being tagged as questionable earlier Monday, and Odyssey Sims remains out and away from the team as she works back from a left ankle injury.
Guard/forward Haley Jones, signed to a developmental contract on Sunday, is out for a coach’s decision in her first availability since rejoining Dallas, while rookie guard Costanza Verona is available, also under a coach’s decision.
Dallas Wings Starting Lineup
Head coach Jose Fernandez is set to start guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, with Arike Ogunbowale and Awak Kuier at forward and Jessica Shepard at center.
Dallas enters the night at 10-6, coming off the comeback win over Chicago. The Storm, at 3-14, are trying to avoid a season sweep after falling 79-56 to the Wings in Arlington on June 1. Seattle holds a 49-30 edge in the all-time series.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- How Li Yueru ‘Changed The Game’ For Dallas Wings To Pull Off 17-Point Rally vs. Chicago Sky
- Dallas Wings Sign Haley Jones To Developmental Player Contract
- ‘Good Teams Find A Way To Win’: Dallas Wings Erase 17-Point Deficit To Edge Sky 93-92 On Li Yueru’s Late Free Throws
- Dallas Wings Lean On Defense, ‘Keep Going’ Mindset vs. Chicago Sky
- ‘They Came Up With Every 50/50 Ball’: Dallas Wings Fall To Golden State Valkyries 91-80 Despite Early Lead
- Paige Bueckers Second Overall, Three Dallas Wings In Top 11 Of First WNBA All-Star Fan Voting
