What was meant to be Paige Bueckers’ redemption night quickly turned into one of the biggest surprises of the Wings’ season. Anticipation was high as Wings fans streamed into College Park Center, clinging to two simple hopes: first, that their team would finally snap the five-game skid; and second, that Paige “Buckets” Bueckers would roar back into form. The buildup felt perfect. After all, Bueckers had endured a rough stretch, scoring just 11 points with no assists against Seattle before GSV snapped her long-running double-digit scoring streak, holding her to nine. The Connecticut Sun clash looked like the ideal stage for a bounce-back. But if only things were that smooth…

Hours before tip-off, the Wings’ official X handle confirmed Bueckers in the starting five, further stoking excitement. But as fans settled into their seats, the night unfolded with an unexpected twist: Bueckers was missing from the starting lineup. And fans wondered why.

Moments later, the team confirmed the reason, stating: “Paige Bueckers has been a late scratch from tonight’s game vs. Connecticut Sun due to an illness.” The timing couldn’t have been worse for Dallas. Already missing Li Yueru, JJ Quinerly, and Arike Ogunbowale, the Wings were left short-handed once again. But that wasn’t the most surprising aspect of the game.

It was a battle of the eliminated at College Park Center, and the matchup became a test of pride. With PB missing along with other key players, the scales tipped in favor of the Connecticut Sun. However, Dallas came out swinging. Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said it best before the game, “The team is locked in and continuing to show up for one another.”

Honoring his words, Wings delivered early, outscoring Connecticut 30-21 in the first quarter and nearly stretching the lead to double digits. This performance comes on the back of missing their offensive leader, Paige Bueckers. The Wings have not explained what illness suddenly pulled Bueckers from the starting lineup after earlier listing her as a starter. Instead, her absence has sparked a new storyline.

Dallas fans are in awe as their team pulls ahead without Paige Bueckers

The Wings entered the game extremely shorthanded. However, they actually pulled themselves together despite missing key starters. Even the Dallas fans could not help but point it out. “Are the Wings better without Paige Bueckers?” one fan wrote on X. Their query was valid. The Wings entered the game having lost nine of their last ten outings. On the other hand, the Sun secured four wins in their last ten games.

Yet, it was the starless Wings performing. The Connecticut Sun beat the Dallas Wings 101-95 on Wednesday night for their highest scoring game this season. Aziaha James led Dallas (9-30) with 22 points, while Myisha Hines-Allen scored a career-high 18 points, and Maddy Siegrist added 15 points.

“I might be trippin, but Dallas Wings score so much easier without Paige Bueckers, which is something I don’t get,” a fan said. It was another rookie, Aziaha James, who drew the first blood. She scored seven points early out of the gate, before Myisha Hines-Allen took charge and scored her seven. Another fan added to this, stating, “The best I’ve seen Dallas all year…. And Paige Bueckers isn’t playing.” And there were multiple others who shared the same sentiment.

One Dallas fan even had a theory about it. In the last two Wings games, the opponents were targeting Bueckers. At one point in the GSV game, four Golden State players were swarming her. Looks like Connecticut had a similar game plan. “The whole Connecticut Sun roster started the game looking like they were all tasked to only guard Paige,” a fan noted.

However, Connecticut did pull in all the stops during the second quarter, ending it with 33-19 in their favor. But the Dallas fans did not lose hope. A netizen cheekily wrote on X, “Okay, if after halftime the Dallas Wings do good, then that means everyone on that team is afraid of Paige Bueckers.” They wanted their team to flourish on offense instead of just passing the ball to Bueckers, the Wings’ most reliable scorer.

But at the end of the game, the fans would have been missing PB. The Connecticut Sun closed out the game with a six-point win, 101-95, handing the Wings their sixth straight defeat despite Dallas’ strong start. To make matters worse, Aziaha James and Luisa Geiselsoder are potentially down with injuries.