Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark Set Stage As Dallas Wings Open Preseason vs. Indiana Fever
The Dallas Wings will open their 2026 WNBA preseason schedule on the road against the Indiana Fever on April 30 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Tipoff in Indianapolis is set for 6 p.m. CT. Broadcasting information for the preseason opener has not yet been announced.
Dallas Wings Preseason Opener Launches Series Against Indiana Fever
The April 30 exhibition will serve as the first of four meetings between Dallas and Indiana during the 2026 season. The teams will open the regular season against one another on May 9 in Indianapolis before meeting again Aug. 14 in Indiana and closing the series Aug. 20 in Texas.
That finale will be played at American Airlines Center, where Wings–Fever played before a sold-out crowd of 20,409 last June. The game set a franchise single-game attendance record, marked the largest crowd in Texas WNBA history, and became just the eighth regular-season contest in league history to exceed 20,000 fans.
During the 2025 season, the Wings and Fever averaged nearly 18,000 fans per game across four matchups. The July 13 meeting on ABC drew an average audience of 2.1 million viewers, one of the highest-rated regular-season broadcasts in WNBA history.
Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark Headline Star-Driven Matchup
The rivalry has been defined by high-level individual performances on both sides. In four career games against Indiana, Paige Bueckers has averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, shooting 47.0% from the field and 90.9% from the free-throw line. Her most productive outing came June 27, 2025, in Dallas, when she scored 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
Indiana’s backcourt has been led by Caitlin Clark, who faced Dallas once during the 2025 season. In the July 13 matchup, Clark recorded 14 points, 13 assists, and five steals in 25 minutes, impacting the game as both a facilitator and defender.
Inside, the Fever have relied on Aliyah Boston, who averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in four games against the Wings in 2025 while shooting 56.5% from the field. Boston scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Dallas on June 27 and added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on Aug. 1, finishing the four-game series with a cumulative plus-minus of +52.
Neutral-Site WNBA Preseason Finale Ahead
The 2026 season will mark a new chapter for Dallas, as it will be the first under veteran head coach Jose Fernandez, who was hired in October after 25 seasons at the University of South Florida. Dallas also holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft after winning the lottery for the second consecutive year.
Following the preseason opener in Indianapolis, the Wings will play a second and final exhibition game at a neutral site later this spring, with details to be announced.
Dallas used a similar approach last preseason, opening 2025 play in a neutral-site showcase at Purcell Pavilion hosted by the Las Vegas Aces. The May 2 game served as a homecoming for former Notre Dame standouts Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Young. Dallas fell 112–78 in that preseason matchup.
More Dallas Wings News & WNBA Rumors
- WNBA News: Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings Unveil 2026 Schedule As WNBA Prepares For Milestone Season, Open Season Against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Embraces ‘Surreal’ Return To USA Basketball At Senior National Team Camp
- WNBA News: ‘Maybe She’s Ready’: Geno Auriemma On Paige Bueckers’ Chance To Emerge As Sue Bird Successor For USA Basketball
- WNBA News: Azzi Fudd To Dallas Wings? National Media Momentum Builds For Potential UConn Reunion With Paige Bueckers
- WNBA News: ‘This Won’t Be The Same Old Dallas Wings, My Brother’: Jose Fernandez Outlines Vision To Build Winning Culture Around Paige Bueckers
- WNBA News: ‘A Whole Bunch of Potential’: Paige Bueckers Embraces Dallas Wings Rebuild Despite Tough Season
