The W might have found its own Icarus. For one electric night against the Sparks, Paige Bueckers flew higher than anyone thought possible. She torched the Sparks for a career-best 44. It was also the most efficient 40-point game the league’s ever seen. Just imagine the kind of performance that bends record books. To put that into perspective, 39 players have ever hit 40 or more, but only one has done it shooting north of 80%. That’s Paige Buckets for you. But just like in mythology, wings of wax always meet the sun. And since that peak, Paige Bueckers has only fallen.

Against Seattle, she slipped to just 11 points and barely kept her streak of scoring in double digits alive. That night, Dallas took a brutal 35-point loss, and their fourth straight. It hurt more knowing Bueckers came out firing as she scored eight of the team’s first 12 points, only to go quiet the rest of the way. “We’ve got to learn from it and continue to grow,” Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said. “As soon as the game is over, the recovery process starts. Tomorrow we’ll do everything we can to get them ready for a three o’clock game on Sunday.”

Sunday came, but so did the Valkyries – hungry to end a skid of their own – and they dragged Dallas down. This time, Bueckers’ personal streak fell, too. She scored nine points, that’s it! And just like that, her run of scoring in double figures every game (30 straight) was over. That number is no joke as thirty games puts Bueckers in rare air, right below Candace Parker and A’ja Wilson. Here’s what the landscape looks like-

• Cynthia Cooper: 92
• A’ja Wilson: 37
• Candace Parker: 32
• Paige Bueckers: 30

So, until last night, she owned the longest active double-digit scoring streak in the league. Now it’s gone, but she’s in elite company already. Even Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase made sure to acknowledge that postgame. “(Paige) is an elite scorer in this league,” Nakase said. “Rookie or no rookie, that’s impressive what she’s been doing. We matched her up with (Kaila), but at the end of the day, it was team defense. Just credit to our whole team for being locked in because she’s just not an easy cover. She demands a lot of attention.” Attention she got, and for nearly 35 minutes, every cut, every catch, every dribble came with a body in her space, here’s how…

Valkyries put Paige in a cage

Despite suiting up only eight players, Golden State arrived in Dallas and ended its three-game skid with a 90-81 road victory. The main story, however, was how they completely stifled Paige Bueckers. They limited the rookie sensation to a season-low nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. Dallas attempted to create opportunities for her, but Golden State’s defense treated every time she touched the ball as a top-priority emergency.

The game was intensely physical, and afterward, Wings head coach Chris Koclanes was openly frustrated. “It’s physical, the whistle is not going our way, and I see [Paige] just get run over,” he said. “She’s boxing out, and just getting absolutely run over and thrown to the ground. Like, how many times does she have to be on the ground for us to start protecting her and cleaning up the physicality? You’ve got to step in and support your players and make sure they know that you have their back.”

Conversely, the Valkyries were a model of balanced and tireless effort. Veronica Burton was all over the court, finishing with 25 points, 13 assists, and blocking a career-best four shots. Iliana Rupert tied her career high by scoring 17 points. Kaila Charles matched her own with 16, and Kate Martin contributed 12 points, all from four three-pointers. A layup from Burton in the middle of the fourth quarter finished a 10-0 run that extended Golden State’s lead to 69-55. It effectively clinched a decisive statement win.

This outcome improved the Valkyries’ record to 19-18 and put them one game ahead of the Sparks for the last postseason berth as the playoffs approach in less than three weeks. For Dallas, this marks a fifth consecutive defeat and yet another night where their strategy fell apart. For Paige Bueckers, it served as a stark reminder that every defense in the league now has her name written in bold on their game plan.