Paige Bueckers Sends Clear Message After Wings Lose to Caitlin Clark-Less Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
There was no second occurrence of the much-talked-about Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers rivalry on Friday night. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year sat out for a sixth straight game as the Dallas Wings hosted the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center.
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The Fever, however, were still able to secure a convincing 88-78 win over the Wings despite their cornerstone superstar’s absence, marking Indiana’s fourth consecutive victory.
Paige Bueckers Reacts to Wings-Fever Game
Bueckers was impressive on Friday night. The highly touted rookie came to play, and she finished with a team-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, four assists, two steals and just one turnover, while also knocking down all eight of her attempts from the charity stripe.
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It still wasn’t enough for Dallas, though, which has now suffered defeat for the fourth time in five games.
In her postgame press conference, Bueckers decided to heap praise on the Wings for the effort they put in against Indiana.
“The fact we’re competing in every single game that we’re playing, and we’re building reps,” Bueckers said, via Moreau Sports Media Prod Co. on X. “We’re a very young team… play in tight games, and play with different lineups.
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“It’s really positive for us to get these reps in the first year that we’re playing. I think it will only help us in the long run and make us better.”
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) turned in another strong performance against the Indiana Fever.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As Bueckers said, the Wings did a respectable job of hanging with the Fever for virtually the entire game. This has been the case for Dallas of late, despite the fact that it hasn’t been stacking the wins.
In three out of their four last defeats, the Wings have lost by a margin of 7.7 points. They also took down the defending champs, the New York Liberty, on Monday, 92-82.
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Dallas has fallen to 8-21 after Friday’s loss, and the fact of the matter is that things aren’t looking very promising this season. However, as Bueckers said, it’s hard to deny that the future continues to look bright for this squad.
Related: Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull Catch Attention With Their Outfits for Fever-Wings Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
