Paige Bueckers’ Calf Issue Headlines Eight-Player Dallas Wings Injury Report vs. Minnesota Lynx

Grant AfsethAugust 31, 2025August 31, 2025no comment

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The Dallas Wings continue to navigate one of the longest injury lists in the WNBA as they prepare to face the Minnesota Lynx on Monday at Target Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, airing locally on KFAA29 and nationally on NBA TV.

Rookie guard Paige Bueckers is listed as probable with a left calf issue, though it’s unclear when the injury occurred. After missing Wednesday’s 101–95 loss to the Connecticut Sun due to illness, she returned Friday and played through lingering effects in a 100–78 defeat to the Atlanta Dream. Bueckers posted 16 points and matched her career best with 10 assists for her second career double-double.

Maddy Siegrist tied her career high with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and added five rebounds, while Amy Okonkwo and Myisha Hines-Allen also reached double figures. But with only eight players available—three of them signed on hardship contracts within the last eight days—the Wings (9–31) were stretched thin.

Aziaha James is doubtful with a right ankle injury she suffered late against Connecticut after recording a team-high 22 points and six assists. Six players have already been ruled out: Luisa Geiselsöder (right shoulder) and Haley Jones (right knee) are set to miss their second straight game, Tyasha Harris remains sidelined after season-ending knee surgery, Arike Ogunbowale is out with right knee tendonitis and awaiting re-evaluation, and both JJ Quinerly and Li Yueru are out for the season with ACL sprains in their left knees.

Friday’s loss to Atlanta offered another example of how injuries have shaped Dallas’ year. The Wings trailed by only four points entering the fourth quarter before being outscored 29–11. The result marked their seventh consecutive defeat amid the difficulty of competing with a short rotation.

“We just ran out of gas a little bit,” Siegrist said to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We had some lapses defensively, and they’re a great team—they’re going to take advantage. They hit some threes off second chances, and you can’t let that happen in the fourth.”

Short Rotation Tested Again

With only eight available players, three of them on hardship contracts, Dallas showed stretches of resilience but could not sustain the effort late against a playoff-bound Atlanta team. Bueckers said the message within the locker room is rooted in trust, no matter how many players are available.

“There’s a fight about us,” Bueckers said. “We haven’t gotten the results yet, but we continue to like what we’re building. We’ve had people coming in who’ve never played before, people learning the offense and defense on the fly, but one thing we all share is fight and passion for basketball. That will continue to carry us the rest of the season.”

Among the recent additions, Amy Okonkwo has made an immediate impression. Signed to a hardship deal on Aug. 21, she has averaged 11.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting better than 53% from the floor in her first four games — one of the strongest scoring starts ever for an undrafted player. Dallas extended her with a second seven-day contract before Friday’s contest.

Christyn Williams, another newcomer, suited up for the first time against Atlanta after signing an extreme hardship deal earlier that morning. The former UConn standout and 2022 first-round pick has worked her way back from past injuries and reunited with her college teammate Bueckers in her WNBA debut.

“I’m just super excited overall,” Williams told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “This is my first official WNBA game, so I’m super grateful for the opportunity and I’m excited to be able to play with Paige again.”

Dallas Wings Building Despite Adversity

Head coach Chris Koclanes credited Bueckers with balancing her scoring with playmaking despite defenses crowding her lanes. On the season, she’s averaged 18.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

“She takes what the defense gives her,” Koclanes said to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Today, it wasn’t aggressive coverage; it was bodies in gaps. She moved the ball, found cutters, and made the right reads. She balances her own scoring with getting teammates involved. She’s such a team player.”

Hines-Allen echoed the importance of mindset as the Wings work through injuries.

“My biggest thing is making sure they understand that we get the opportunity to come out here and showcase what we can do,” Hines-Allen told DallasHoopsJournal.com before Friday’s game. “We’re down in numbers, but at the end of the day, whoever puts the jersey on, that’s who we’ve got to rock with, and it’s enough. I harp on that—what we have is enough to compete.”

Dallas continues its four-game road trip Monday at Target Center against the Lynx. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on NBA TV.

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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