Down by two with just a second left, LA still found a way. Kelsey Plum drilled a buzzer-beater to lift the Sparks past the Wings, 81–80, on Wednesday night. Even Paige Bueckers couldn’t keep her Wings from being clipped… Her 44-point masterpiece, still wasn’t enough even after being a career high and also the single best scoring night by any WNBA player this season. But did the fans erupt in frustration? Not at all. Maybe because everyone knows Bueckers has already done more than enough. Maybe because, even without a true second scorer beside her, she has carried Dallas for weeks.

After outscoring her entire team combined, Bueckers has just tightened her grip on Rookie of the Year. She just broke her tie with Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper by recording her 29th straight double-digit game. She is now third all-time in rookie scoring streaks, just five shy of A’ja Wilson’s record 33. (Candace Parker holds second with 32; Cooper drops to fourth with 28.)

Viewers are witnesses to the effort. Even if her teammates can’t match it, they’ve got her back, and Paige isn’t shy to admit how much it means. When asked postgame what it felt like to be cheered on every time she scored or even appeared on screen, Bueckers didn’t hesitate: “I think it means a lot specifically because people have gotten to see the struggle and people have gotten to see the injuries and the times where I couldn’t play, and the ups and downs.” Truly, her rookie campaign is already one of the trickiest since Sabrina Ionescu’s in 2020.

Back then, Ionescu’s season ended after just three games with a severe Grade 3 ankle sprain. Although Paige Bueckers, by comparison, has at least managed to suit up in 28 of Dallas’s 36 games, she has battled through a concussion, illness, a back injury, and patellar tendonitis. Unlike recent No. 1 picks (Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Rhyne Howard) who stayed healthy enough to secure Rookie of the Year honors… Paige hasn’t really had the luxury of a smooth ride.

That’s why she treasures the support all the more: “For me to have that type of story and for people to continue to follow me and still believe in me, it just really means a lot. So I’m extremely grateful for it and I’ll never take that for granted,” she said. Even her head coach, Chris Koclanes, can’t help but sing her praises: “Paige is just so unique. You know there’s a lot on her shoulders, with everyone watching, and she handles it with so much grace. She’s an incredible teammate, always putting the team first, and everything she does is so selfless. As a coach, being able to coach someone like that has, you know, just made me better.”

Still, for all of Bueckers’ brilliance, the Wings’ reality is hard to hide. With a first-year leader and a first-year head coach steering the Wings, the team has stumbled to 9-27. They started at a dismal 1-11, clawed back slightly to 6-13, but sadly, the momentum never shifted… Maybe Wednesday night wouldn’t have been so harsh on Paige Bueckers if the injury bug hadn’t gotten JJ Quinerly.

Paige Bueckers’ Injured Wings

It was definitely a tough night for Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings but the situation might have felt less harsh if the injury bug hadn’t also bitten JJ Quinerly. The team really suffered a double whammy. Beyond just losing to the Sparks by a single point, their rookie guard Quinerly went down with what looked like a left foot injury. This happened right in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. She collapsed to the floor and had to be helped off the court by her teammates.

The rookie wasn’t able to return to the game, which ended her night with five points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in her 18 valuable minutes off the bench. At this moment, the Wings haven’t put out an official report on what her condition is. However, there was at least one piece of encouraging news. WNBA reporter Grant Afseth shared an update on X. It said: “I was told that JJ Quinerly was ultimately able to put weight on her left leg. Later on after being helped off the court.”

This latest scare just adds to what has already been a full season of attrition for the Dallas team. Just on Tuesday, the team announced that an ACL sprain ended the season for center Li Yueru. While the doctors diagnosed their star guard Arike Ogunbowale with right knee tendonitis. They will re-evaluate her situation in the coming weeks.

Even earlier in the year, forward Maddy Siegrist was out for nearly half the campaign with a fractured knee. And guard Ty Harris suffered a season-ending knee injury after playing only five games. The lack of stability goes beyond just injuries, too. The Wings shipped out two major offseason acquisitions. It was the reigning Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington and the former No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith.

So what’s the result of all this? It’s been a flat, fractured season that now has the team’s fans openly calling for the removal of their head coach, Chris Koclanes. For Paige Bueckers and the Wings, the word “injured” feels like it’s more than just a simple label.