DHJ Quick Take: Home Debut & Star Power
- The Met Gala Rematch: Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese bring their friendship—and high-profile rivalry—to College Park Center. While they recently shared the spotlight at the Met Gala, Reese was clear at shootaround: “Between the court, we’re not friends.”
- Rotation Logic: Jose Fernandez is sticking with the Odyssey Sims/Paige Bueckers backcourt. By starting Sims, Fernandez is able to “save Paige’s legs” and shield her from 94-foot ball pressure, a strategy that fueled the Wings’ record-setting 107-point performance in Indianapolis.
- Frontcourt Shift: With Brionna Jones out for Atlanta, the rebounding battle becomes even more localized on Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon. Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith will lead a “team-rebounding” approach to neutralize Reese’s relentless motor on the offensive glass.
- Fudd’s Status: No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd is listed as probable (right knee) and is expected to make her home debut. Expect Fernandez to lean on her gravity off the bench to maintain the floor spacing that allowed Dallas to shoot nearly 60% in the opener.
- Sold-Out Stakes: This is the first home game of the Fernandez era in front of a capacity crowd. After setting a WNBA record for points in a season opener, the Wings have established an offensive floor that Atlanta’s switchable defense will struggle to contain if the pace remains high.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings open the home portion of their 2026 schedule Tuesday night against the Atlanta Dream in a marquee matchup at a sold-out College Park Center, with reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and two-time All-Star Angel Reese headlining the broadcast.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT on KFAA, with Ron Thulin, Fran Harris, and Alexis Davis on the call. The game also streams on WNBA League Pass.
Tuesday’s contest marks the first home game of the Jose Fernandez era in Dallas. The first-year head coach earned his first WNBA win in Indianapolis on Saturday and now turns his attention to a 2-1 home-opener record against Atlanta dating back to 2023, when Dallas won 85-78 behind a 27-point game from Ogunbowale.
How to Watch
- Tip-off: Tuesday, May 12, 7:00 p.m. CT
- Venue: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
- TV: KFAA (local)
- Broadcast crew: Ron Thulin (play-by-play), Fran Harris (analyst), Alexis Davis (sideline)
- Streaming: WNBA League Pass
- Live stats: stats.wnba.com
Game Status Report
Dallas Wings: Rookie guard Azzi Fudd is listed as probable with a right knee issue. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft made her regular-season debut Saturday in Indianapolis and is expected to be available Tuesday.
Atlanta Dream: All-Star forward Brionna Jones is OUT with a right knee injury. Jones, a two-time All-Star, was the Dream’s projected starting center entering the season, leaving Atlanta to lean on Reese and Hillmon to anchor the frontcourt.
Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese Headline Marquee Subplot
Tuesday’s game pairs the top members of the WNBA’s 2020 high school recruiting class on the same floor, with both players having ascended into the league’s most marketable young stars. Bueckers, the reigning Rookie of the Year out of UConn, and Reese, who won a national championship at LSU before her selection by the Chicago Sky, have built a parallel arc both on and off the court, including a joint appearance at the Met Gala earlier this month.
Reese, addressing the matchup at shootaround Tuesday, said the friendship will not soften the competitive edge.
“It’s really exciting to see me and Paige continue to grow, and everybody else that was in our class continue to grow,” Reese said. “We’re obviously friends off the court, but between the court we’re not friends, so we’ll talk a little trash tonight. But I’m just excited to see her journey through adversity and everything she continues to thrive through. She continues to take Dallas and put Dallas on the map, so I’m excited for her.”
Bueckers, who delivered a comprehensive scouting report on Reese during Monday’s practice availability, said Atlanta’s offseason addition fundamentally changed the Dream on both ends of the floor.
“On both ends of the floor, just a paint presence on both sides. But like I said, defensively she can switch and guard one through five,” Bueckers said. “And then offensively, she’s a great screener, great roller, great passer, can finish around the rim, and provides a different spark for them. And just her energy is contagious, and she brings confidence to her teammates.”
Dallas Wings Carry Record-Setting Opener Into Home Debut
Dallas enters Tuesday after a 107-104 road win over the Indiana Fever that set the WNBA record for most points scored by a team in a season opener. The Wings shot 59.1% (39-of-66) from the field, the second-best mark in any season opener in league history, and topped 100 points in a season opener for the first time in franchise history.
Bueckers finished with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, becoming one of only eight players in WNBA history to reach 700 career points within 37 regular-season games. She joined Ogunbowale as the fastest player in Wings franchise history to hit the mark.
Sims added 20 points and earned the praise of Fernandez for her defensive presence in the starting lineup. Fernandez, asked about the rotation logic of starting Sims over Bueckers, said the decision allows Bueckers to operate off the ball and preserves her legs for the fourth quarter.
“I thought she did well. Scored 20 points. Did a very good job defensively,” Fernandez said of Sims. “For me, I want to save Paige’s legs down the stretch in the fourth quarter. The more I can play her off the ball, we know she’s going to get trapped at the point guard spot in so many pick-and-roll situations.”
Shepard added 9 assists in the opener and earned praise from Reese at shootaround for her playmaking from the frontcourt. Smith anchored the Wings’ interior defense and will draw the primary matchup against Reese on Tuesday.
Atlanta Dream Return Reshaped Roster Around Angel Reese
Atlanta arrives at 1-0 after a 91-90 comeback win over the Minnesota Lynx, having erased a 19-point halftime deficit. The Dream return All-Stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, along with stretch forward Naz Hillmon and guard Jordin Canada, and added Reese in an offseason trade with Chicago.
Reese opened her Dream tenure with her 50th career double-double, posting 11 points and 14 rebounds against Minnesota despite a difficult shooting night. The two-time WNBA rebounding leader will draw the bulk of attention from the Wings’ frontcourt, with Smith and Shepard previewing a team-rebounding approach at shootaround.
Gray, who began her career with the Wings before being traded to Atlanta and shared a Dallas backcourt with Ogunbowale from 2019 through her trade out of the organization, said the Wings’ guard depth requires sustained defensive attention.
“They have great guards. You can’t sleep on any of them,” Gray said. “And then with Aziaha coming off the bench, she’s a great scorer as well. They’re all great guards. You just gotta stay aware the whole game.”
Series History and Milestones
Atlanta leads the all-time regular-season series 29-20, though Dallas holds a 13-11 advantage in home meetings. The teams have split their last 10 regular-season matchups 5-5 dating back to 2023. The Wings are 4-5 in home openers at College Park Center since the franchise moved to North Texas and 2-1 against the Dream in three previous home openers in Arlington, most recently winning 85-78 on May 20, 2023.
The two teams will meet twice more during the regular season after Tuesday. Dallas visits Atlanta on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT and hosts the Dream at College Park Center on July 29 at 7 p.m. CT.
Several Wings enter Tuesday on the verge of milestones. Bueckers, who already cleared 700 career points in Saturday’s opener, sits 12 made field goals shy of 300 for her career. Ogunbowale needs 17 points to reach 4,300 for her career. Shepard’s 9 assists in the opener moved her into the top 100 in Wings franchise history.
Up Next
The Wings travel to Atlanta on Thursday, May 22, for the second meeting of the season series against the Dream. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Gateway Center Arena in College Park.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- ‘Championship Standard’: Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream Detail Matchup In Sold-Out Home Opener
- Atlanta Dream Shootaround Interviews: Allisha Gray, Angel Reese Detail Matchup Against Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
- Azzi Fudd Injury Update: Dallas Wings Rookie Participates In Shootaround Ahead Of Home Opener
- Dallas Wings Shootaround Interviews: Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard Detail Matchup Against Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream In Home Opener
- Jose Fernandez On Azzi Fudd’s Path To Starting Role: ‘When That Happens, I Think She’ll Be Ready’
- Dallas Wings Injury Report: Azzi Fudd Probable For Home Opener vs. Atlanta Dream
- Dallas Wings WATCH: Jose Fernandez, Paige Bueckers, Odyssey Sims Preview Home Opener vs. Atlanta Dream
- Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Sims Each Score 20 As Wings Edge Fever 107-104 In Season Opener
- ‘I Felt A Lot Better’: How Azzi Fudd Used Dallas Wings Preseason To Get Comfortable Before WNBA Debut vs. Indiana Fever
- ‘Taking Ownership Of Who I Want To Be’: How Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Prepared For Dominant Second Season
- WNBA MVP Odds: Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Becomes Massive Liability For Sportsbooks
