Dallas lock up the last playoff spot
Paige Bueckers scored 22 points and handed out 11 assists in Arlington on Tuesday night as the Dallas Wings beat the Portland Fire 96-78 to claim the eighth and final WNBA playoff place. The eight-team postseason field is now set.
Dallas move to 23-16. That total already stands as a franchise record for regular-season wins, and five games remain on the schedule. The Wings had not reached the playoffs since 2023.
Jessica Shepard backed Bueckers with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Arike Ogunbowale added 17, Awak Kuier finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and Alanna Smith scored 10. All five Dallas starters reached double figures.
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Portland never led
The Fire trailed from start to finish. Dallas stretched the margin to 26 at its widest, and Bueckers applied the finishing touch midway through the fourth quarter when she picked off a pass and found Ogunbowale open beyond the arc for 84-60. The two of them hit three each of the eleven three-pointers Dallas made.
Bridget Carleton and Karlie Samuelson scored 14 apiece for Portland, who slip to 15-23. Emily Engstler pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and chipped in 12 points.
Kuier’s interior line matters more than the box score suggests. Dallas lost Azzi Fudd to knee surgery earlier this month and have leaned harder on their frontcourt ever since.
Bueckers keeps stacking twenties
Tuesday marked Bueckers’ 23rd game of 20 points or more this season. She arrived off a 32-point outing on Sunday, and the eleven assists carried as much weight as the scoring for a team that runs most of its offence through her hands.
Portland travel to Atlanta on Friday. Dallas host Connecticut on Sunday with seeding still to settle.
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