DHJ Quick Take: Paige Bueckers Scores 31 as Wings Answer Minnesota With Win Over Mercury
Paige Bueckers scored a season-high 31 points, passed 900 career points, and Dallas set a season high with 50 points in the paint in an 85-70 win over Phoenix. The Wings never trailed, improved to 8-4, and moved to 3-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play.
- How did Dallas win? Bueckers’ 24 first-half points and a season-high 50 points in the paint carried the Wings, who led by as many as 22 and never trailed.
- Who led? Bueckers finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 14-of-20 shooting, while Jessica Shepard and Azzi Fudd each added 17 points.
- Why does it matter? Dallas answered a road loss at Minnesota with the physicality and interior play coach Jose Fernandez had identified as the team’s top areas to clean up.
- What’s next? Dallas visits the Portland Fire on Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. CT on KFAA.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Paige Bueckers scored a season-high 31 points, and the Dallas Wings never trailed in an 85-70 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night at College Park Center.
The Wings (8-4) answered a road loss at the Minnesota Lynx by playing through the paint, setting a season high with 50 points there while holding Phoenix (4-10) to 39.1% shooting. Dallas built a 45-36 halftime lead, pushed the margin to as many as 22, and led 70-52 through three quarters before closing out the win on Pride Night in front of a sellout crowd of 6,251.
Dallas started Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, Maddy Siegrist, and Jessica Shepard in its 11th game, again without Odyssey Sims (left ankle). The Wings opened on an 11-4 run, weathered a 16-10 Phoenix push, and led 24-20 after one quarter on Bueckers’ 11 points.
Awak Kuier opened the second quarter, and after Phoenix closed within 30-28, Dallas answered with a 6-0 run and took a 45-36 lead into halftime. The Wings shot 55.6% in the first half and held the Mercury to 37.5%.
Dallas seized control in the third, opening on a 10-4 run, stretching the lead to 22 at 66-44, and carrying a 70-52 advantage into the fourth. Shepard scored 8 of her points in the quarter. Phoenix trimmed the deficit to 80-70 on a 9-0 run late in the fourth before Li Yueru and JJ Quinerly closed out the 85-70 final.
Dallas Wings Respond With Physicality
After the loss to Minnesota, Fernandez pinpointed interior defense and physicality as the team’s clearest areas to improve.
“I think us being able to protect the paint and have a little bit more physicality, that’s an area that has to improve,” Fernandez said before the game.
Dallas delivered on that against Phoenix, outscoring the Mercury 50-22 in the paint, adding 15 fast-break points, and holding a 13-8 edge in second-chance points. The Wings overcame a cold perimeter night, going 4-of-18 (22.2%) from 3-point range, by finishing efficiently inside, shooting 52.1% overall, and getting stops that let them run.
“We got out in transition,” Fernandez said. “When we rebounded and got the ball out, we were able to play. The other night against Minnesota, we were taking the ball out of the net every possession because they were scoring. Tonight, we defended, got it off the glass, and were able to get out and run. We had some really good rim runs and some good drives to the basket.”
The push to respond had been a theme around the team well before tip-off. Ogunbowale and Quinerly both stressed a short memory at shootaround.
“There are going to be games where we just come out and stink it up like we did in Minnesota,” Ogunbowale said. “But you have to have a short-term memory. We’ve got to bounce back.”
Quinerly said she hoped the group carried an edge into the night.
“I hope some of us are a little angry and ready to take it out on the other team,” Quinerly said. “That should be the mindset.”
Bueckers said the response started with conversations among players after the quick turnaround.
“We talked about digesting what happened, accepting it, but not accepting it moving forward,” Bueckers said. “We’re trying to be a resilient team. You’re not going to win every game in this league, but it’s all about how you respond.”
Dallas won comfortably despite an off shooting night from Ogunbowale, who finished 1-of-9 for 2 points while adding 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Fernandez said the roster’s depth allowed the Wings to absorb cold stretches.
“It was great to see other players step up, especially when the ball didn’t go in for some of the players on our roster,” Fernandez said.
The win moved Dallas to 3-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play and pushed the total raised for the team’s Cup beneficiary, Young Leaders, Strong City, to $10,000.
Paige Bueckers Sets the Tone
Bueckers shot 14-of-20 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range while adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal. She scored 24 points before halftime, tying a career best with 11 first-half field goals, and both her 24 first-half points and 13 second-quarter points were season highs.
The night carried added significance. It was Bueckers’ third 30-point game and her first since she set the WNBA rookie scoring record with 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks last season. She also passed 900 career points, reaching the mark in 48 games to tie Elena Delle Donne for the sixth-fastest in league history. Bueckers joined A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart as the only players to post at least 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 14 field goals while shooting 70% or better in a regular-season game.
She did it while playing through a rolled left ankle suffered on a first-half rebound.
“I kind of rolled it and it gave out a little bit on a rebound,” Bueckers said. “But once it rolls, it rolls right back, so I just had to go in the back and get it taped. Adrenaline is the best drug, so I didn’t really feel it during the game. I just wanted to power through and help the team get a win.”
Dallas was deliberate about how it featured Bueckers. She worked out of pick-and-roll and early actions after bringing the ball up, getting to her spots in the mid-range with spin moves for jumpers and pull-ups. The Wings also flashed her off the elbow to catch, face up, and create, and posted her up on the block, giving her room to be aggressive. Fernandez had emphasized getting Bueckers off the ball, a point he raised before the game in discussing Quinerly’s role at point guard.
“We’ve got to get Paige off the ball, and JJ can help us do that,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said the variety plays to Bueckers’ strengths.
“There’s a comfort level to her game,” Fernandez said. “When she gets going, it’s easy for me to put her in spots, at the elbow, at the nail, posting her up. That’s why she’s one of the best players in the world.”
Bueckers, who missed six shots, still found something to critique.
“I still missed six shots, so that’s something I’ll lose sleep over,” Bueckers said. “As a hooper, sometimes you get into a flow state and everything you shoot feels good. But it’s really a credit to my teammates for screening, getting me open, feeding the hot hand, and finding me.”
Dallas Defense Slows Phoenix’s Top Scorers
Fernandez had flagged Phoenix’s inverted and Spain pick-and-roll actions before the game, along with the drives of guard Kahleah Copper and the screening of forward Alyssa Thomas.
“You have to make sure they take contested shots,” Fernandez said.
Lexi Held got her shot off and led Phoenix with 17 points off the bench, but Dallas contained Thomas and Copper about as well as it could, helping aggressively at the nail and rotating on time. The Wings forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 23 points. Copper scored 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting, and Thomas was held to 6 points, though she recorded 10 assists.
Fudd tied her career high with 3 blocks, becoming one of two rookies this season, along with Seattle’s Flau’jae Johnson, to post multiple games with at least three blocks.
“I thought we did a good job keeping them in front of us,” Fernandez said. “Our help areas were really good when they got to the blocks and elbows, and I thought we loaded up really, really well defensively.”
Fudd said the defensive standard comes down to effort.
“In my opinion, it’s mostly effort. It’s having active hands, being aggressive, and continuing to play even if you make a mistake within a coverage,” Fudd said. “Defense is something you can control. You can’t always control whether shots go in, but you can control your effort.”
Jessica Shepard, Azzi Fudd Anchor a Balanced Attack
Shepard posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7-of-8 shooting, recording her seventh double-double of the season and the 26th of her career. She has accounted for three of the six games leaguewide this season in which a player has reached at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Shepard operated as a hub at the elbow and finished repeatedly inside against a smaller Phoenix lineup while controlling the glass. Dallas outrebounded Phoenix 37-31 and is 6-0 this season when winning the rebounding battle.
“The way she facilitates and gets people involved,” Fernandez said. “She makes great reads. Off a dead ball, she brought it up a couple of times, and we ran some inverted screens for her. She’s just comfortable. She doesn’t get frazzled.”
Bueckers said Shepard’s value extends well beyond the box score.
“Her impact shows up on the stat sheet, but it’s also so many things that don’t,” Bueckers said. “She’s a triple-double threat every single night. She’s a pressure reliever because she can bring the ball up, initiate offense, pass, screen, cut, and rebound. She rebounds way outside her area. You don’t want to be in a rebound battle with Jess Shepard.”
Fudd added 17 points and a career-high 4 assists in her sixth double-digit scoring game of the season. She was aggressive when the openings came, whether spacing the floor, coming off off-ball screens, or rejecting a ball screen to attack.
Aziaha James Provides a Spark
Aziaha James finished with 7 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 16 minutes off the bench, providing ball pressure and energy on both ends. In the fourth quarter she converted an and-one, then dove on the floor for a loose ball and found Shepard for a layup that kept Dallas ahead 75-56.
“Her hands are active, and she plays with a lot of energy,” Fernandez said. “She pressured the ball. She had a highlight play that was really nice. I turned around and said, ‘Ooh, that’s sweet.’ Even when she’s not scoring, she affects the game because of her activity and effort.”
Bueckers credited James with setting the defensive tone.
“Aziaha James set the tone defensively,” Bueckers said. “She was diving on loose balls, crashing the boards, and being aggressive on both ends. That’s the spark she provides off the bench.”
Dallas Wings Get Contributions Across the Roster
Alanna Smith contributed 2 points and 5 rebounds, including 2 on the offensive glass, and Kuier added 4 points, 3 rebounds, and a block in her first game back after missing three contests with a wrist injury.
“I thought we got good play from Alanna, Awak, and Jess,” Fernandez said. “It was a good night.”
Quinerly continued her return from a roughly nine-month injury layoff, hitting her first basket of the season in her second game back.
“It just feels good to be back out there on the court,” Quinerly said at shootaround. “I’ve been out for about nine months now, so it feels really good to be back playing again.”
The win came on Pride Night, which Bueckers said carried meaning for the team and the league.
“I think it’s really important,” Bueckers said. “I feel like this world would be a lot better place if love and inclusivity were put first. To love somebody regardless of who they like or who they love, and just love them for who they are, that’s what life is all about.”
What’s Next
Dallas continues its road stretch with a visit to the Portland Fire on Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. CT on KFAA, with the game streaming on WNBA League Pass.
The Wings and Mercury meet again on Saturday, September 19, at 12 p.m. CT in Texas, the second of their three regular-season matchups.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- ‘Feels Good To Be Back Out There’: JJ Quinerly Makes Long-Awaited Return For Dallas Wings
- ‘Having More Connectivity’: Paige Bueckers Details How Dallas Wings Can Respond After Minnesota Lynx Loss
- ‘They Expose You’: Minnesota Lynx’s First-Half Barrage Sinks Dallas Wings In 100-76 Road Loss
- ‘It’s Nostalgic In The Best Ways’: Jessica Shepard, Alanna Smith Return To Minnesota For First Time Since Joining Dallas Wings
- ‘She Was A No-Go Today’: Odyssey Sims Held Out Of Dallas Wings Practice With Ankle Injury
- Aziaha James Avoids Injury, Returns To Dallas Wings Practice After Los Angeles Sparks Scare
- ‘Total Team Effort’: Paige Bueckers Ties Franchise Assist Record, Arike Ogunbowale Scores 30 As Dallas Wings Beat Los Angeles Sparks 104-96
