Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings let victory slip through their fingers and were unable to beat the Atlanta Dream, falling 88-85 and racking up their 20th loss of the season.
This result leaves them with a record of 8 wins and 20 losses, seven of which came in their last nine games. It also puts them near the bottom of the standings, in 11th place, ahead of only the Chicago Sky (7-19) and Connecticut Sun (4-21).
And although the number one pick in the WNBA draft has proven her talent and was one of ten rookies selected for the All-Star Game, her achievements are not reflected in the team’s performance, and she ranks last in a decisive statistic.
Bueckers surprises with her place in this statistic
In the game against the Dream, Paige had a chance to change the outcome and send the game into overtime, but she missed her 7.6-meter three-pointer and, of her three attempts in crunch time, she only made one. This fact only corroborates her low shooting percentage.
According to @PolymarketHoops on X, the 23-year-old rookie is shooting 16.7% from the 3-point line in decisive minutes of the game (the last five with a 5-point difference). Currently, Paige is 2 for 12 from 3-point range this season, although she is third in the league in decisive field goal attempts with 27.
However, her 21 points and seven assists against Atlanta earned her the distinction of being the second rookie to accumulate the most games (11) with at least 15 points and five assists, dethroning Sue Bird (10). Caitlin Clark holds the top spot with 30.
Meanwhile, Bueckers will try to continue extending this streak and improve her decisive three-pointers against the Indiana Fever next Friday, August 1, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The first and last time they faced each other, Wings lost 102-83, so Bueckers could also be looking for revenge. However, Clark’s presence is not confirmed and she could miss another game due to her persistent groin injury.
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