After sitting out the last four games with a concussion and an illness, rookie Paige Bueckers returned to action for the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.
Despite her comeback, the Wings fell to Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury, 93-80, dropping to 1-10 in the 2025 WNBA season.
Bueckers delivered her best performance yet as a pro, scoring a game-high 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, while adding six rebounds and four assists. With that performance, she became just the second rookie in WNBA history to record at least 35 points and five made threes in a game, joining Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
The WNBA recognized Bueckers’ milestone early Thursday morning, just hours after the final buzzer. Clark previously reached those marks in her penultimate game of the 2024 season, when she posted 35 points on 10-of-22 shooting (6-of-14 from deep), with two rebounds and eight assists in a 110-109 win over Dallas on September 15.
Through her first seven games, Bueckers is averaging 17.6 points on 48.9% shooting, along with 4.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists. By comparison, Clark wrapped up her rookie year averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Bueckers and the Wings will look to snap their skid Friday against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. Her first matchup with Clark comes on June 27, when Dallas hosts Indiana.
