With over half the WNBA season in the books, some clear trends are emerging. The Minnesota Lynx (22-5) are running away with the top spot, powered by MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, keeping last year’s runners-up on a tear. At the other end of the spectrum, the Connecticut Sun (4-21) are poised to finish in last place, while the Chicago Sky (7-18) have disappointed Angel Reese, who is playing the best basketball of her career with 10 consecutive double-doubles.
Of the teams that had the last first overall pick, the Indiana Fever (14-12) are counting on Caitlin Clark to fully recover from her third injury of the year and finish strong. Meanwhile, the Dallas Wings (8-19) are counting on first-overall pick Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale to spark a late playoff push. There’s still plenty of the season left to see more surprises and record-breaking performances.
Clark’s Record Falls as Bueckers and Ogunbowale Shine
Caitlin Clark’s been sidelined with a nagging groin injury, missing her fourth straight game on Saturday as the Fever edged out rivals Chicago Sky 93-78. Her absence has opened the door for others to step up, and Dallas Wings stars Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers seized the moment. On Monday, Ogunbowale put on a clinic against the defending champ New York Liberty, dropping a 15-point, 10-assist double-double in the first half alone.
That performance etched her name alongside Clark in the record books as the only players in the last 20 years to hit those marks in a single half, stripping Clark of her exclusive claim. Ogunbowale’s fireworks helped Dallas jump to a commanding 63-36 halftime lead, and they’re cruising at 85-62 heading into the fourth. With Liberty’s two-time MVP Breanna Stewart also out with a leg injury and no return date, the timing couldn’t be worse for Clark to lose her spotlight.
When we compare Clark’s first 21 games last season with Bueckers’s, we see that their stats are very similar, which shows why they were both highly anticipated before entering the WNBA. Bueckers averaged more points than Clark, 18.2 to 16. Bueckers’ efficiency was .455, while Clark’s was .391. Bueckers had 2.2 turnovers per game, while Clark had 5.6. However, Clark tops Bueckers in assists (7.1 to 5.5) and rebounds (5.7 to 4.0) in his first 21 games last season.
Bueckers Breaks Records in Clark’s Absence
Paige Bueckers is making waves, leading the Wings to a rare road win over the East’s best, the New York Liberty, 92-82, handing them just their third home loss. After sitting out Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces for rest, Bueckers bounced back with a game-high 20 points alongside Ogunbowale’s matching 20.
That effort stretched her WNBA record as the first drafted rookie guard to score in double figures in all 21 career games, and she’s now the fastest guard since 2006 to hit 10 career 20-point games-outpacing all other rookies combined this year. Her stat line keeps her in the top 10 for points, assists, and steals, solidifying her Rookie of the Year case.
On Friday, August 1, the Wings and the Fever will face each other for the third time this season. However, it appears that Caitlin Clark will still not have recovered from her injury by that date, which would be the second time she has missed playing against Bueckers and the Wings. In both previous games against the Fever, which were losses, Paige scored over 20 points.
Read the full article here
