The Chase Center crowd had been one of the loudest in the entire league, and before Game 3 between the Dallas Wings and the Golden State Valkyries, the visitors were supposed to get the full force of that hostility. However, when Paige Bueckers’ name was called, the reaction changed.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Bueckers and Co. walked into Chase Center, commonly known as Ballhalla, for the winner-takes-all final game of their first-round series as the underdog against the #2-seeded Valkyries. However, she has seemingly endeared herself to the crowd, because the arena was filled with cheers when her name was announced as a part of the opening lineups. The sequence was caught on video by Wings beat reporter Myah Taylor.
“Wings starters — except for Paige Bueckers — again booed by the Chase Center crowd. Arike Ogunbowale got some loud ones. Guessing fans didn’t like her 45-point performance in Game 2,” Taylor wrote on X.
It’s no wonder Ogunbowale got the loudest boos in the entire lineup. Ogunbowale, Bueckers’ backcourt partner, is perhaps the only reason Dallas has been able to make it to Game 3. After going down 0-1 after a Game 1 loss, Ogunbowale helped the Wings protect home court, scoring a WNBA playoff record-high 45 points on 12-for-23 shooting and 16-for-18 from the free-throw line, including the game-tying three at the end of regulation to force overtime.
The Wings ended up taking a 108-100 win at the end of the overtime period. It was a tense game for Ogunbowale, who got tied up with the Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes after they made contact with 2:26 left on the clock in overtime. Both were called for flagrant fouls, and converted each of their resulting free throws.
Bueckers was on the back burner in Game 2 after starting the series hot. After leading the Wings with 21 points and just one missed shot in Game 1, she finished Game 2 with just 10 points, making just three of her 13 shots. However, it was likely her comments following Game 1 that endeared her to the Valkyries crowd, especially since she praised the Ballhalla crowd.
“I think they have one of the best home courts in the league,” she said. “Their fan base is very supportive, there’s not a silent voice in the crowd, so it’s tough to play here. But as a competitor you kind of love that.”
Bueckers also praised the Valkyries’ defense, something that has been the team’s calling card all season, and called out her own teammates for failing to match their play.
“They’re always locked in defensively, and I think we can take something from that,” Bueckers said. “We’ve been a team that has a bad habit of letting made or missed shots dictate how we play on the defensive end, and this is the playoffs, so that’s really unacceptable.”
So far, Game 3 has been closely contested. With 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, the Wings hold a two-point lead following a 19-6 run from the Valkyries, who have clawed their way back after falling into a deficit earlier.
So far, it’s been a strange night for Paige Bueckers in terms of efficiency. The guard has made just three of her 11 shots, but made all 10 of her free throws for 17 points total. Ogunbowale has been the main offensive engine again, logging 21 points on 8-14 shooting.
This is the final game of the first round this season, with the winner of this series set to face off against the Las Vegas Aces, who closed out their series against the Indiana Fever the previous night.
For the Valkyries, Game 3 represents an opportunity to close out the series and win their first post-season series since joining the league last season. For the Wings and Paige Bueckers, the task now is to lead an upset, and having extended the series at home, they possess the potential to take the win.
Only time will tell how the game ends up, and which team will face the defending champion Aces in the WNBA semifinals.