Paige Bueckers may not have had her best night statistically, but her mindset heading into Game 3 could not be clearer. After the Dallas Wings fought off elimination with a dramatic overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries, the young star has now turned her attention toward the biggest game of the series.
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Speaking during a postgame interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, a video that was reshared by reporter Roberta Rodrigues, Bueckers expressed her determination and willingness to give everything she has heading into Game 3.
“My heart. My body,” Bueckers said when asked what she’s willing to give the team on Friday to ensure that they continue the season.
“I don’t want to actually die out there, but I want to feel like I’m dead after the game. Just everything I have, everything we have as a team, just unconditional gratitude for the journey that we’ve been on. And just a fire and a passion and a will and a belief for what’s ahead to see.”
After losing the first game 104-80, the Dallas Wings headed into Wednesday night’s Game 2 knowing they had to win or go home. However, Paige Bueckers found herself heavily limited by the Valkyries’ defensive adjustments.
Coming off a hyper-efficient Game 1 where she missed only one shot, going 9-of-10 from the field, the Valkyries completely adjusted their scheme to lock her down. They made her their No. 1 defensive priority, swarming her every time she touched the ball.
She was held to 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, a massive drop from her usual 51.2% regular-season shooting average. She even uncharacteristically air-balled a critical three-pointer when the Dallas Wings were trailing by three in the final two minutes of regulation. And she finished the night shooting just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Despite playing 43 minutes, she was heavily disrupted from orchestrating the offence, though she still managed to salvage her night by recording four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
In fact, the Wings’ season may have been over in Game 2 if it wasn’t for Arike Ogunbowale’s playoff record-setting performance.
Ogunbowale scored 45 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Her shooting was also on point with 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 16-of-18 free throws. With that performance, she surpassed a 16-year-old playoff scoring record by Angel McCoughtry, who had scored 42 points.
While Breanna Stewart (2022) and Napheesa Collier (2024) have matched the feat, Ogunbowale surpassed it and did it in a game where it mattered the most. As Bueckers struggled with her shooting, she passed the ball to the veteran teammate, who leveled the score with a crucial three-pointer that sent the game into overtime.
She then continued her production into overtime, helping the Wings win 108-100 against the best defensive team of the season. However, Bueckers and the Wings aren’t the only ones who’ll be determined to win Game 3 and take the series.
The Golden State Valkyries will also be coming with a strong response, looking to continue the defensive pressure that gave Bueckers so many problems in Game 2. In fact, Gabby Williams herself explained that the Valkyries’ defense wasn’t up to scratch in their second clash with the Wings.
“We’re not here to trade baskets with people. We’re a defensive team. We need to get stops.”
With both teams now having everything to play for, Game 3 could ultimately come down to which team executes better, handles the pressure, and, when the final buzzer sounds, wants it more. So we’ll have to wait and see if the Valkyries get their defensive rhythm back or the Wings capitalize on the momentum they meet at Chase Center in San Francisco on October 2.