Wings Lose Paige Bueckers Against Liberty
The Dallas Wings will be a little clipped when they face the New York Liberty on Friday night.
Prior to the conclusion of what has been an intriguing three-game series, the Wings announced that newly-minted franchise face Paige Bueckers would sit out due to a back injury.
Bueckers, the latest University of Connecticut breakout and the most recent top pick of the WNBA Draft, has lived up to the hype and then some, averaging 18.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 steals entering Friday night play, ranking no worse than second among rookies in each of those categories.
New York has gotten its fill of Bueckers recently, getting its interconference trio with the Wings out of the way over the last two weeks.
The former Husky put in 20 points on July 28 when Dallas beat New York in a shocking 92-82 decision, the final tally hiding the fact that the Wings led by as much as 30 before a futile seafoam comeback. On Tuesday, Bueckers scored 21 though the Liberty earned revenge with an 85-76 triumph at Barclays Center, her first showing in front of a metropolitan crowd.
Bueckers briefly left for the locker room during Tuesday's game but was able to finish things out. Per the Associated Press, Bueckers labeled herself "day-to-day" after missing the final practice before the Liberty's visit to Arlington.
"I was just dribbling the ball and just felt a tightness come along," Bueckers said. "I'm hoping it won't take me out. Just get some treatment, get some rest. I think it's just a pulled muscle. I felt a strain, felt it tight."
Following the Liberty's visit, the Wings (8-22) host the Washington Mystics on Sunday late afternoon.
Friday's game between the Liberty and Wings will be missing a good bit of star power: New York (19-10) will once again go without a contributing triumvirate of Kennedy Burke (calf), Nyara Sabally (knee), and Breanna Stewart (leg), all of whom are dealing with lasting injuries. Dallas may also be missing Myisha Hines-Allen, who is listed as probable with an ankle ailment.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.