Dallas is on the road again. Three Things to watch in trip to Portland.

Following a 85-70 win fueled by Paige Bueckers on Thursday night, the Dallas Wings return to the road to face the Portland Fire on Saturday night. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at the Moda Center.

While Dallas has won three out of the last four games, Portland is currently on a four-game losing streak. The Fire lost 105-89 to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night. The loss gave the Fire their eighth loss of the season as Portland currently has a 6-8 record in its first season since the 2002 WNBA season. In comparison, the Wings earned their eighth win on Thursday night, staying in the top five of the WNBA Standings with a 8-4 record.

Paige Bueckers Ankle

Bueckers scored a season-high 31 points in the win on Thursday night. She scored 24 points in the first half with 13 of those points coming in a problematic second quarter.

After turning her ankle on a rebounding attempt in the second quarter, Bueckers hobbled to the locker room. She returned about 30 seconds later and kept carrying the Wings offense as she went 14-of-20 from the field, helping Dallas to add another win to its record.

Although the injury and trip to the locker room looked concerning, Bueckers continued playing and had jokes in the post-game press conference.

“Kind of just rolled on a rebound that’s why I don’t be reboundin. Just kidding.” Bueckers said. “Adrenaline is the best drug so didn’t really feel it during the game just wanted to power through and help the team get a win.”

Bueckers did just that as she continues showing her improvement in her second season in the WNBA. Despite averaging the same amount of points scored per game as her rookie season, Bueckers is shooting better in her second season.

She currently is shooting 52.3% from the field and 42.9% from the 3-point line as she leads the Wings with 19 points-per-game. In her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2025, Bueckers averaged 19 points-per-game while shooting 47.7% from the field and 33.1% from the 3-point line.

Bueckers is an important piece to the Dallas Wings success as she demonstrated once again on Thursday night despite the ankle injury. In the postgame press conference, she said she would do her best to be feeling right the next day. Given how she played on Thursday night, she will most likely play, but her health is something to monitor as the Wings continue its stretch of many games on short rest.

Starting with its game on June 9, Dallas had five games in a nine day stretch. The Wings have played two games already and Portland is the third game of that stretch.

Fudd and Bueckers Connection

As Azzi Fudd continues to become more involved in the Wings offense, the more opportunities to show her connection with Bueckers.

Fudd and Bueckers played together at the University of Connecticut, winning a national championship in the 2024-25 season. They have a connection with each other that similar players have after playing with each other for awhile. However, it has taken time to reveal itself in the WNBA as Fudd adjusts to the professional level.

Thursday night served as an example of the connection positively impacting Dallas as Bueckers and Fudd helped each other score. Fudd finished the game with four assists while Bueckers finished with five assists. Four of Bueckers assists went to Fudd while three of Fudd’s assists went to Bueckers.

In the last two games, Fudd has begun to bring the ball up the court. She is handling the ball more and setting players up to score like she helped Bueckers to start the game. Fudd found Bueckers who hit a jumper to score the first points of the game.

As Fudd becomes more comfortable with the role of being a ball handler, the more chances she has to showcase her chemistry on the court with Bueckers. The on-court connection played a part in pairing Bueckers and Fudd together in the WNBA because of how it helped UConn win a national championship. Portland provides another chance for Fudd and Bueckers to grow that connection on the WNBA court.

While the starting lineup is pretty much set for the Wings, the spot next to Jessica Shepard seems like a spot that Jose Fernandez could move someone into.

Alanna Smith, Maddy Siegrist and Awak Kuier are all options, but it is still a question about which one helps the team the most as the starter.

Smith started the first seven games next to Shepard, but her mask to protect her nose negatively impacted her play, resulting in Siegrist starting the last five games.

While Dallas has won four of the five games Siegrist has started, there is still room for Dallas to grow especially on the defensive side of the ball, providing an opportunity for Kuier to start.

Before her wrist injury kept her out of the last three games, Kuier served as a great defensive player for the Wings. In her first season with the Wings since the 2023 season, Kuier has shown her improvement after playing oversees the last two seasons. She appeared to have a chance to start before her wrist injury sidelined her.

In her return on Thursday, she finished with four points, three rebounds and one block in 15 minutes. Siegrist finished with zero points and two rebounds in 14 minutes. Smith led the trio with 16 points, finishing with two points and five rebounds.

Now that Kuier is healthy and Smith is playing better with her mask the game on Saturday provides an opportunity for Dallas to find the right partner next to Shepard as the Wings continue to look to improve themselves and compete with playoff teams.

How to Watch

The Wings play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Moda Center in Portland. The game will be broadcast locally on KFAA Channel 29.

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