Paige Bueckers picked apart the Storm from the opening tip on Sunday, and it wasn't close by halftime. The Dallas Wings guard was already cooking early, hitting shots from all over the floor before the game even settled in.
Paige Bueckers DOING IT ALL for the Wings early 🪽 https://t.co/IIlVb0GY3m
By the midway point of the first quarter she was 5-of-5 from the floor with 13 points, and she never let off the gas. She closed the opening period with 18 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from three, a stretch that basically decided the game before the Storm could get their footing.
Paige Bueckers getting BUCKETS early 🔥 She finished the 1Q with 18 PTS on 4-4 3PM and 7-8 FGM! Watch SEA/DAL live on NBA TV. https://t.co/SkKUAP3bE7
She kept pouring it on into the second quarter, reaching 23 points before the half. The final damage: 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists as Dallas cruised to a 92-70 win over Seattle, according to the Associated Press.
Paige Bueckers up to 32 points on a PERFECT 6-of-6 from 3PT 🎯 https://t.co/fWZNdBejAj
The win tied Dallas's single-season franchise record for wins at 22-16, and it came against a Storm team that's been in freefall — Seattle has now dropped 3 straight and 14 of its last 15, sitting at 7-31 on the year. Jessica Shepard chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Wings, while Flau'jae Johnson led Seattle with 23.
This is the version of Bueckers the Wings drafted No. 1 overall in 2025 hoping to build around. She won Rookie of the Year that season after averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game, and nights like this one show why Dallas is betting its whole rebuild on her. A win over Portland next is all it takes to punch Dallas's ticket to the postseason, and if Bueckers keeps shooting like this, that shouldn't be much of a problem.