The Dallas Wings are on a roll. Two wins back to back against the Mercury and the Mystics. These are the types of games you normally don’t expect the franchise to win. But something’s clearly shifted for Chris Koclanes’ squad. A big reason? The return of rookie sensation Paige Bueckers. Since coming back from concussion protocol, Bueckers has dropped 151 points in her last 7 games. But she’s not doing it alone! She has had help from fellow rookies!
Heading into the game against Mercury, the Wings had a big injury list. Yes, Paige was coming back after missing the game against the Mystics, but Arike Ogunbowale took her place on the injury report. And if that wasn’t enough, DiJonai Carrington remains sidelined, along with Maddy Siegrist and Tyasha Harris.
But none of those issues seemed to matter when the Wings set foot inside the College Park Center. In front of 6,162 energized fans, Dallas took control early and never looked back. By the end of the first quarter, they had already built a 12-point lead. But how was this possible? NaLyssa Smith was gone, Arike, DiJonai, and Seigrist are out injured. The team practically has no veteran presence in the starting 5. The answer? The rookies stepped up big time!
JJ Quinerly, Paige Bueckers, and Aziaha James put on an absolute masterclass against the Mercury, combining for 68 points, 11 rebounds, and 18 assists in the Wings’ 98-89 win. That’s right! These three alone were responsible for 69% of Dallas’ total points. This win against the Mercury helped take their overall record to 6-13. Now, Paige is usually the headliner every time the Dallas Wings win, but this time it was someone else! It was Zaza!
Aziaha James tonight
Zaza becomes the third rookie in franchise history to record a game with 25+ pts, 5+ rebs + 5 asts! pic.twitter.com/ewLVyclv7p
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) July 4, 2025
The number 12 pick in this year’s draft had a night to remember! She finished the game with a career high 28 points, going 5-9 from beyond the arc while also getting 6 rebounds and 6 assists. But that wasn’t all! She ended up becoming just the third rookie in franchise history to put up a 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists game.
She wasn’t the only rookie who had career-high numbers! JJ Quinerly was equally important for the Wings. She finished the game with a career-high 17 points. But how can we ignore Paige Bueckers? Her habit of creating a record every time she stepped on the court continued even against the Mercury.
Paige Bueckers continues to script history for the Dallas Wings
Bueckers finished the game with 23 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. And yet, despite that all-around stat line–she was only the second-best player on the court, behind Zaza. But Paige, being Paige, still found ways to create history. At this point, it’s not even surprising anymore, just another day at the office.
Paige created multiple records in the match against the Mercury. Here are a few!
She joined Jennifer Azzi as the only rookies in franchise history with multiple 20-point games on 70% shooting from the field, according to StatMuse.
She became the fastest guard(since 1997) to get to 250+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 50+ assists, according to Real Sports.
She is currently the only player in the W to rank in the top 10 for points, assists, & steals, according to Polymarket Hoops.
That’s how special Paige has been in her rookie season. The Dallas Wings have now won 4 of their last 7 games. The momentum is slowly but steadily building. Imagine how dangerous they’ll be once key players return from injury. Pieces are slowly falling in place for Coach Koclanes and co. What do you think about this Dallas Wings resurgence? Is it just a flash in the pan, or is it real? Let us know in the comments down below!
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