The Los Angeles Sparks (17-18) secured a narrow 81-80 victory over the Dallas Wings (9-27). Kelsey Plum led her team to victory by sinking the game-winning shot at the final buzzer and effectively ending Dallas and Chicago Sky’s fight for a spot in the playoffs.
However, this did not prevent 23-year-old rookie Paige Bueckers from shining.
Ja Morant praises Paige
The Wings point guard was completely confident and inspired against her opponent. Under the watchful eye of the fans at Crypto.com Arena, she scored 44 points, setting a new record for a WNBA rookie.
With her impressive tally, Paige became the player who has scored the most points in a game this season. And that wasn’t the only thing she achieved with this milestone.
With this milestone, she also:
- Tied the WNBA “rookie” scoring record (1997) held by Cynthia Cooper for 28 years.
- Surpassed Candace Parker’s rookie record of 40 points in 2008.
- Is the rookie with the most points scored in a game in franchise history.
- Surpassed her personal record in the WNBA (35) and at UConn (40).
- Moved into first place in Wings history with the most games with double-digit scoring in a rookie season (29).
Given this brilliant performance in the game, which also included four rebounds and three assists, the Memphis Grizzlies star praised Bueckers.
On his official X account, Ja Morant did not hesitate to highlight the former UConn player’s talent, saying, “Paige hoopin.”
The truth is that Bueckers is one of the favorites for WNBA Rookie of the Year. She averages 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game and has received the WNBA Rookie of the Month award twice, in June and July. These marks are in addition to those recently obtained.
As Morant would say, she is hoopin indeed. And he is not far behind. The 26-year-old two-time NBA All-Star was named Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player.
He also holds a personal record of 52 points, scored against the San Antonio Spurs in early 2022, which is the highest in franchise history.
Meanwhile, Bueckers is preparing for her next home game against the Seattle Storm (18-18) on Friday night.
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