How to Watch Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty: Paige Bueckers Nears Rookie Records, Diamond Miller Adjusts to New Role and More
The Dallas Wings will host the New York Liberty on Friday night at College Park Center in the third and final meeting between the teams in less than two weeks. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, with national coverage on ION.
Dallas (8-22) and New York (19-10) have split the season series so far. The Wings won 92-82 at home on July 28 behind Paige Bueckers’ 20 points, while the Liberty took an 85-76 victory in Brooklyn on Tuesday with Bueckers scoring 21.
How to Watch Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty
Date: Friday, August 8
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: College Park Center — Arlington, TX
TV: ION (National)
Live Stats: stats.wnba.com
Social Media Updates: Follow @DallasWings and @DallasWingsPR
Paige Bueckers Eyes Rookie Milestones
Rookie guard Paige Bueckers has scored in double figures in all 24 games she has played this season, the sixth-longest streak by a rookie in WNBA history. A double-digit scoring effort on Friday would tie her with Caitlin Clark for fifth place at 25 consecutive games.
She has scored at least 20 points in four straight games — the 11th-longest such streak by a rookie. Arike Ogunbowale’s 11 consecutive 20-point outings in 2019 remain the league rookie record.
Bueckers, who was questionable Thursday with a back injury, fully participated in Friday’s shootaround, stayed afterward to get extra shots, and even won the team’s half-court shooting contest. She called the injury a “pulled muscle” sustained on Tuesday in New York, but expects to play.
For Bueckers, staying effective offensively isn’t just about hunting her own shot.
“I think it’s a mix of hunting mismatches, attacking off screens, and creating out of isolation, while also making sure my teammates stay in a rhythm,” she told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We’re moving and changing sides of the ball, so I don’t get too ball-dominant. It’s about finding a balance between looking for my own shot and getting my teammates involved.”
Diamond Miller Working to Find Her Fit
Diamond Miller’s first week as a Wing has been a sprint. Acquired Sunday from the Minnesota Lynx in the trade for DiJonai Carrington, the 6-foot-3 guard-forward joined Dallas in the middle of a road trip, debuting Tuesday in New York after only a shootaround with her new teammates.
Thursday’s practice at College Park Center was her first full session with Dallas, giving her the chance to slow things down, absorb the team’s terminology, and start building chemistry. Head coach Chris Koclanes said the focus was on getting her comfortable in the team’s defensive schemes and offensive spacing.
Miller views her role as bringing “defense, running the floor well, shooting threes, and attacking the rim,” while making quick reads in the Wings’ uptempo style. “When I feel like I have the opportunity to attack, they’re allowing me to, so that’s exciting,” she said.
Her transition has been eased by Myisha Hines-Allen, a former Minnesota teammate. “She’s coming from a winning culture, so she has a voice,” Hines-Allen said. “Little things that she sees — just making her feel comfortable enough to speak up. People listen.”
Li Yueru also noted the impact of Miller’s presence.
“She’s really helpful for us,” Li said. “She brings a lot of championship culture to us, and she has really good habits. She helps us in a lot of places, so I really appreciate her and hope we’ll get a really good moment here.”
For Miller, Friday’s matchup is an early chance to make her mark.
“We’re preparing to be in the playoffs, so this is another example to help us when you’re in a series,” she said. “This is to win the series now. It’s going to be a very important game, and we’re excited for tomorrow.”
Adjustments Against the New York Liberty
Tuesday’s loss in Brooklyn was defined by New York’s sharp three-point shooting and a balanced attack. The Liberty went 12-of-24 from deep, with Jonquel Jones hitting multiple threes and adding timely finishes inside.
Luisa Geiselsöder pointed to limiting Jones’ outside opportunities as a priority.
“I have a feeling a lot of her shots were kick-out threes — I think she had three or four of them,” she said. “If we limit the three-pointers and make it tough around the basket, that will help.”
Yueru added that Dallas must avoid overhelping.
“We feel like we cannot over-help or overreact, because we overworked too much,” she said. “So they had a lot of three-point shots — open shots like that. We will do better tonight.”
Containing Sabrina Ionescu has been a relative success through two games, but both players acknowledged the bigger challenge is defending the rest of New York’s lineup while keeping the transition defense sharp.
“Their transition offense — they love to run, so we have to give them tough shots,” Geiselsöder said. Li agreed, noting, “The first step is everyone works hard and defends hard… and we’ll try to do it better and keep the good things tonight.”
Offensively, New York’s increased switching in the second meeting forced Dallas into stagnant possessions.
“We had some times where we weren’t really good in the switch for us, so we’re trying to figure that out,” Yueru said. “And when we dribble into the paint area, we’ll try to look for more spots — not just one spot.”
Bueckers emphasized that in-game adjustments will be key.
“We have to adjust in-game, knowing how well they’re shooting from three, trying to run them off the line, and get them more into the paint,” Bueckers said.
Myisha Hines-Allen is a Game-Time Decision
Hines-Allen, who missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury, was a partial participant in shootaround and is listed as probable. The Wings will determine her status closer to tipoff.
“It felt good to finally be back on the court again with my teammates,” Hines-Allen said. “This is honestly the first year where I’ve had ankle problems, so that’s frustrating in itself. But knowing my teammates have my back… was amazing.”
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- WNBA News: “Preparing to Be in the Playoffs”: Diamond Miller Settling Into Role With Dallas Wings
- WNBA News: “She Should Be Fine”: Dallas Wings Reveal Paige Bueckers Injury Status for New York Liberty Rematch
- WNBA News: “We Gave Them Too Many Open Shots”: Paige Bueckers Scores 21 as Dallas Wings Fall to New York Liberty After Second Half Slide
- WNBA News: “Hoping It Won’t Take Me Out”: Paige Bueckers Details Back Injury After Dallas Wings’ Loss to New York Liberty
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers Earns Second Consecutive WNBA Rookie of the Month Honor
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings Trade DiJonai Carrington to Minnesota Lynx, Acquire Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson
