Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 35 points in her return to the court Wednesday night, but it came in a 93-80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, had missed three games while in concussion protocol and another one due to illness.
Bueckers became just the fourth rookie in Wings history to reach 30-plus points in a single game, with teammate Arike Ogunbowale being the last one to do so in 2019. Although Bueckers had a strong performance, it wasn’t enough for the league-worst Wings to get in the win column. Dallas lost its sixth straight to drop to 1-10, the team’s worst start since 2012 (1-11).
Here are some takeaways from Bueckers’ return:
Bueckers didn’t miss a beat
Her last game was on May 29, but Bueckers didn’t show any rust. She started the game hot and went 5 of 5 from the field in the first quarter. Her 22 points in the first half surpassed her previous personal best of 21 points. It was also the third-highest point total in a half for a rookie in franchise history.
Bueckers played 37 minutes and was efficient the entire night going 13 of 19 from the field and 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. She also contributed six rebounds, four assists,…
