DHJ Quick Take: Paige Bueckers Probable To Return For Dallas Wings Against Las Vegas Aces
Paige Bueckers, who missed one game with a right ankle injury, is listed as probable for the Dallas Wings‘ home meeting with the Las Vegas Aces on Monday.
- What’s the news? Bueckers is probable after sitting out Saturday’s 84-83 loss at Portland with a right ankle injury.
- Why does it matter? She is Dallas’ starting point guard and leading scorer, and her return restores the team’s primary playmaker.
- What’s the matchup? The 10-3 Aces visit College Park Center after a 100-97 win over Minnesota; Dallas won the first meeting 95-87 on May 28.
- What’s next? Tip-off is Monday at 7 p.m. CT on USA Network nationally and KFAA locally.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Paige Bueckers could be back on the floor for the Dallas Wings on Monday. The second-year guard, who missed Saturday’s 84-83 road loss to the Portland Fire because of a right ankle injury, appears as probable on the team’s status report for the home matchup against the Las Vegas Aces, putting her on track to return after a one-game absence.
Bueckers, Dallas’ starting point guard and leading scorer, tweaked the ankle in the Wings’ midweek win over Phoenix and was held out at Portland as a precaution after the trip out west. Head coach Jose Fernandez described the call as a long-view decision before Saturday’s tip-off.
“No, I think she’s going to be day-to-day. It’s a long season, and caution is important,” Fernandez said pregame. “After the flight out here, it was the best decision for her to get rest tonight and get healed up.”
Asked about the timeline regarding when Bueckers planned not to play, Fernandez pointed to the day before the game after she received treatment from the training staff.
“I thought yesterday when we landed and she got treatment,” he said. “Listen, we’ve got a long year. Paige is who she is, and trust me, she wants to be on the floor tonight. But the best thing for her longevity, her career, and the franchise is making sure we take care of her and that she takes care of her body.”
The probable designation is the clearest sign yet that the absence will be a short one. Odyssey Sims, meanwhile, remains sidelined with a left ankle injury and is listed as out.
How Dallas Played Without Her
Replacing Bueckers’ production was never going to fall to one player, and the Wings did not approach it that way. Jessica Shepard, who creates from the elbow and the post as much as any Dallas guard does off the dribble, called it a group assignment.
“I think it’s a collective effort,” Shepard said before Saturday’s game. “Obviously, when you’re missing a player like Paige, who’s our primary ball-handler, everyone has to pick up a little bit of that responsibility. We know they’re a team that pressures a lot, so it’s about executing what the coaches are asking of us.”
To Shepard, the challenge was less about who advanced the ball than what happened once it reached the front court. “I think we have a lot of guards who can bring the ball up, from players who have been playing to players who maybe haven’t played as much,” she said. “It’s not necessarily about bringing the ball up the court. It’s more about getting us set in the offense.”
Fernandez set the same priority, placing ball security at the top of the list against a Portland defense built to speed opponents up. “Offensively, we’ve got to do a great job taking care of the basketball. That’s number one,” he said pregame. “We’ve got to take great shots that don’t lead to bad transition defense. But guys are going to get opportunities tonight, so we’ll see how they do.”
Azzi Fudd, who absorbed more of the on-ball load, framed the spread-out responsibility as a strength rather than a problem.
“Honestly, it gives us unlimited options,” Fudd said pregame. “It really spreads the floor and makes things hard for the defense because anyone can rebound and push the ball. You see it every night with Jess, but you’re going to see it with all of us across the board.”
The other half of the assignment, she said, was poise. “Taking care of the ball is a big one. Being calm under their pressure, whether it’s full-court or half-court defense,” Fudd said. “And just staying together, playing for one another, and doing what we do best.”
For the most part, the plan held. Dallas turned the ball over just 10 times, started Aziaha James in Bueckers’ spot, and rotated initiating duties among Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, James, and Shepard. Ogunbowale paced four Wings in double figures with 22 points, Fudd added 18, and James finished with 17 in her first start of the season. Dallas even nudged ahead inside the final 20 seconds before Portland answered at the line for an 84-83 win.
Fudd said the group settled into the arrangement as the night wore on.
“I think we got a little bit more comfortable not having Paige in there and having me, Arike, Aziaha, and Jess bring the ball up,” she said after the loss. “As the game went on, we got more comfortable with what looks we were trying to get and understanding what was working and what wasn’t working.”
A healthy Bueckers hands that on-ball engine back to its starter and lets Dallas run its half-court offense through her again, rather than by committee, against an Aces team with the personnel to punish empty possessions.
The Wings gave themselves more backcourt insurance over the weekend, too. Dallas signed veteran guard Sug Sutton to a rest-of-season contract on Sunday and waived rookie JJ Quinerly, the 27th overall pick in the 2025 draft. Sutton, who started 43 games for Washington in 2025 before Portland made her an expansion selection in April, will wear No. 0 and is eligible to play Monday. The addition hands Fernandez another experienced ball-handler and perimeter defender, welcome depth with Sims sidelined and Bueckers still managing the ankle.
A Stiff Test Against Las Vegas
The Aces arrive at College Park Center at 10-3 and riding a 100-97 home win over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday. A’ja Wilson posted 24 points and 10 rebounds in that one, while Chelsea Gray drilled 6-of-10 from 3-point range on her way to 23 points.
Dallas, though, has reason for confidence. The Wings handed Las Vegas a 95-87 loss in the teams’ first meeting on May 28 in Arlington, erasing a 13-point deficit for their first victory over the Aces since August 2024. Shepard authored the first 22-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in WNBA history that night, and Fudd poured in 22 points in her WNBA starting debut.
Tip-off Monday is set for 7 p.m. CT, with the game airing nationally on USA Network and locally in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on KFAA.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- Sources: Dallas Wings Sign Sug Sutton To Rest-Of-Season Contract
- ‘We Needed More Stops’: Portland Fire’s 3-Point Barrage Sinks Short-Handed Dallas Wings 84-83
- Paige Bueckers Climbs To No. 2 In WNBA MVP Odds After Season-High 31 vs. Phoenix Mercury
- Dallas Wings Rule Out Paige Bueckers Against Portland Fire Out Of ‘Caution’
- Paige Bueckers Questionable For Dallas Wings At Portland; Odyssey Sims Remains Out
- ‘One Of The Best In The World’: Paige Bueckers Erupts For Season-High 31 To Lead Dallas Wings’ Response vs. Phoenix Mercury
