Paige Bueckers, Alanna Smith Listed As Questionable For Dallas Wings’ Clash With Portland Fire

PORTLAND, Oregon — The Dallas Wings have listed Paige Bueckers (rest) and Alanna Smith (right leg) as questionable for Wednesday’s game at the Portland Fire, an upgrade for both after neither played in Monday’s 99-98 overtime loss to the New York Liberty.

That loss snapped Dallas’s franchise-record six-game winning streak, though the Wings still salvaged the season series against New York, winning it 2-1 for their first series win over the Liberty since 2022. Arike Ogunbowale carried the scoring load with 29 points on 9-of-24 shooting, Jessica Shepard finished with 13 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists, Azzi Fudd scored 15, and Maddy Siegrist added 13 off the bench.

Alanna Smith, Paige Bueckers Upgraded

Smith hasn’t played since July 12, when she suffered the right leg injury in a win over the Chicago Sky. She was listed as doubtful for the following two games against the Los Angeles Sparks and Liberty before Tuesday’s report, which now marks the first sign she could be nearing a return.

Bueckers left Sunday’s 90-82 win over the Sparks in the fourth quarter after colliding with Nneka Ogwumike and hitting her head. She was cleared of a concussion following a postgame evaluation and isn’t in the WNBA’s concussion protocol, but the Wings held her out Monday as a precaution.

Over Dallas’s six-game winning streak, Bueckers averaged 23.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists on 53% shooting from the field and 93.3% from the free-throw line. Her status for next weekend’s WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago remains unclear as well.

Wednesday’s Stakes

Dallas enters at 17-9, the best 26-game start in franchise history and the best record the Wings have carried into an All-Star break, which begins after Wednesday and runs through Monday. It’s the Wings’ second trip to Moda Center this season and their second meeting overall with Portland.

The Fire won the first one, 84-83, on June 13, a game that featured 14 lead changes and came down to a free throw with 1.7 seconds left. Bueckers sat that one out too, with an ankle injury, and Dallas is now 0-2 in games she’s missed this season.

The Fire, at 11-15, are coming off a 101-93 road loss to the Minnesota Lynx on July 18 in which Bridget Carleton scored 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range.

Ogunbowale And Shepard Picking Up The Slack

When Bueckers and Smith are sidelined, Ogunbowale and Shepard have carried extra weight.

Ogunbowale’s 5 rebounds Monday pushed her past 800 for her career, making her the third-fastest player in WNBA history to reach 4,800 points, 800 rebounds, and 900 assists, a stretch of just 250 games that trails only Diana Taurasi (236) and Cappie Pondexter (248). She also had a game-high 22 points in the first meeting with Portland back in June.

Shepard, meanwhile, is putting together arguably her best rebounding season in the league: her 16 boards Monday marked the fifth time this year she’s grabbed at least 16 in a game, and her double-double tally is tied for the WNBA lead at 17.

If Dallas is without its top two guards again Wednesday, Fudd could see an expanded role. The rookie has knocked down at least 3 three-pointers in 4 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in the league this season.

How To Watch

Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. CT at Moda Center. The game airs nationally on USA Network, and locally on KFAA.

If Bueckers or Smith is held out again, Ogunbowale, Fudd, and Shepard are the trio most likely to keep picking up the slack before Dallas heads into its bye week with a franchise-best mark.