The Dallas Wings did not give Paige Bueckers much help against the Caitlin Clark-less Fever.
Fans Feel Bad for Paige Bueckers During Indiana Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever's games against the Dallas Wings this season were marketed as a battle of the last two No. 1 overall draft picks between sophomore sensation Caitlin Clark and rookie All-Star Paige Bueckers.
The fans did not get to see Bueckers vs. Clark on Friday. The injured Fever star missed her 15th regular-season game, but Indiana pulled out an 88-78 victory over Dallas.
Instead, they watched Bueckers spend much of the game taking on the Fever without much help from her Wings teammates. After seeing the stat breakdown at halftime, there was an outpouring of sympathy for Bueckers on social media.
Paige Bueckers Carries Wings Against the Fever
Bueckers finished the game with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. No other player on her team reached double figures in scoring.
At halftime, the Wings trailed the Fever 48-42. Bueckers had more points than Dallas' other four starters combined in the first 20 minutes.
- Paige Bueckers — 15 points, 5-for-9 FG
- JJ Quinerly, Arike Ogunbowale, Haley Jones, Luisa Geiselsoder — 12 points, 4-for-12 FG
Bueckers is the team's leading scorer this season with 18.3 points per game, but she usually gets more help from the players around her.
The other four players who started Friday's game average a combined 38.9 points per game, but contributed just 25 points in the loss to the Fever.
Social Media Reacts to Paige Bueckers' Lack of Help
"no help for paige yet again!" wrote one X user.
#NOHELPhttps://t.co/JrbTwrgQpW
— gi (@howdidtiend) August 2, 2025
"Need someone to come along with the ride with her," begged a fan at halftime. "Only down by 6 is a miracle. The bench helped a lot."
"SHE NEEDS HELP THIS ISNT FAIR," yelled one reply.
paige in this team: https://t.co/Su8hhnCUAwpic.twitter.com/4UXbk8HoU5
— tee, allegedly. (@teeapparently) August 2, 2025
"end the season tonight," said another dramatic response.
Season Outlook for Bueckers, Dallas
With an 8-21 record after the loss, the Wings are now already seven games behind the Las Vegas Aces for the last spot in the WNBA playoffs.
Between injuries, Ogunbowale's career-low in scoring (16.0 points per game) and the breakup of offseason acquisitions NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington via Smith's midseason trade, head coach Chris Koclanes' first season at the helm is likely to be a lost cause.
The good news is that Bueckers has proven that she is a bona fide star for the franchise to build around, making history left and right while putting together a strong case for the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. She leads the Wings in points (18.5), assists (5.5), steals (1.8) and minutes played (34.4) per game.
Despite the loss, Paige Bueckers tied Cynthia Cooper for the fastest player to reach 400 PTS and 100 AST in WNBA history 🙌
— espnW (@espnW) July 31, 2025
Both did it in just 22 games! pic.twitter.com/Vo7G1x0yIV
Due to concerns over the expiring CBA, the only Wings players under contract beyond 2025 are Bueckers and three other players on rookie deals: Quinerly, Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha James and Lou Lopez-Senechal.
On Friday night and for the foreseeable future, the issue for Dallas is clear enough for fans to see on social media. Bueckers needs more help.
Related: Paige Bueckers Had One Word For Her Teammates After Dallas Wings Trade
Related: WNBA Fans Refuse To Accept Truth About Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
