Another Pa(i)ge in Bueckers’ WNBA history was written tonight. Paige Bueckers stunned the league once again, dropping a jaw-dropping 44 points — the most in a single game by any player this season — along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. But the night didn’t end in celebration. Kelsey Plum’s ice-cold buzzer-beater shattered the Wings’ hopes, handing them their second consecutive one-point loss to the Sparks and slamming the door shut on their playoff dreams. From history-making brilliance to heartbreak,  all in the span of 40 minutes.

“After you just watched that performance (no doubt she’s ROY)…she lets the game come to her and she takes what the defense is giving her…she just plays at her own pace, you can’t speed her up. It’s really impressive for a rookie in this league,” said coach Koclanes, who couldn’t help but feel for Paige after her record-breaking night ended in heartbreak at the buzzer.

With this loss, the Wings drop to 8-27, officially ending their playoff hopes, joining the Chicago Sky on the outside, according to The Underground WNBA. Not exactly the news the league wanted, especially with the kind of viewership Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese have been bringing all season.

When Paige joined the Dallas Wings, ticket demand went through the roof. According to SeatGeek, sales spiked 11x compared to the five days before the draft. And site traffic? A jaw-dropping 905% jump, per TMZ. Over at Vivid Seats, it was the same story. Average ticket prices for Wings games shot up 38% from last season, and overall traffic? A wild 920% surge.

And Angel Reese’s games against Caitlin Clark? They always break records!  The season opener between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky averaged 2.7 million viewers in ABC’s 3 p.m. ET window — the biggest TV turnout for a WNBA game in 25 years. At its peak, the broadcast hit 3.1 million viewers. So, not having these two in the playoffs is definitely a major concern for the league.

But tonight was still about Bueckers’ performance, and social media was filled with different takes on PB after the game. Here are some of those reactions.

Fans react to Paige Bueckers’ historic night

“She’s generational. When she has real teammates next to her, the Wings are gonna be scary. Paige in 3-5 years is the best player on planet Earth,” one fan said,  and honestly, they couldn’t be more right. Paige Bueckers is already playing like a seasoned pro. She’s 4th in scoring among guards, 5th in assists, and tied for 1st in steals. And that’s not all! She’s shooting a sharp 45.8% from the field while maintaining a clean 2.57 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Another fan chimed in, “but how about that paige bueckers 43 ball.” Well, Paige didn’t just stop at 43! She finished the game against the Sparks with 44 points, tying Candace Parker’s rookie record for the most points in a WNBA game. And if that wasn’t enough, she also became the first player in league history to score 40+ points on 80% shooting. But she continued to create history.

According to Joey Mistretta, Paige Bueckers has now surpassed Cynthia Cooper for the third-longest streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games by a rookie in WNBA history. She’s at 29 straight games and counting. Wondering who’s ahead of her? A’ja Wilson leads the list with 33, followed closely by Candace Parker with 32. But this historic night ended in a disaster for Paige.

“Lost again,” one fan wrote, adding salt to the wound. For the second straight time, Paige and the Wings fell to the Sparks by just one point, this time in an 80-81 heartbreaker. Sadly, that’s been the story of the Wings’ season. 27 losses already and sitting second-last in the standings. With only a few games left, the pain just keeps piling up on the Wings.

With their 27th loss of the season, the Wings were officially eliminated from playoff contention. And section of fans felt awful for Paige, who has shown up night in and night out for Dallas. “A 40 ball just for your team to get eliminated is crazy 😭,” one fan wrote. Paige is still the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year, shattering records while averaging 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. But what’s the point of all that if she can’t carry her team to the playoffs? Well, that’s exactly what Caitlin Clark fans are saying.

“I mean could never be my goat… But anyways congrats Paige Beckers on your 44 point elimination L game…. 🫠,” one fan commented. And that’s where the trolling kicks in. Caitlin Clark, in her rookie year, not only led all rookies in points and assists but also took the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Paige? She’s been phenomenal, but she couldn’t drag the Wings that far, and that’s the reason she is facing such trolls now.