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Cheryl Reeve Makes Feelings Clear on Paige Bueckers After Wings Game

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve made her feelings clear regarding star Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers after their final meeting this season

Will Despart

Sep 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) in action against Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Sep 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) in action against Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

It's not easy getting a co-sign from Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who is one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport's history and the head of the US Women's National Basketball Team, to boot. However, Reeve had some positive feedback for Dallas Wings star rookie Paige Bueckers after the Lynx downed the Wings 96-71 in the last of four regular-season meetings.

Bueckers scored 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting in the loss, in addition to dishing out two assists. The first-year star out of the University of Connecticut is averaging 18.9 points, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. After Monday's game, Reeve praised Buckers' scoring ability and compared her to a younger Napheesa Collier in that regard.

"They've really navigated her best spaces well," Reeve said. "Clearly, she likes to post up. She's terrific in that space. She's very much improved in terms of how she gets her scoring attempts. She learned how much the team needs her to take shots. It's almost like (Napheesa) in 2023 when we were like, 'You're gonna have to take 20 shots, and you gotta figure out how to get them off'.

"I think Paige has gotten really shifty getting defenders up and getting to her sweet spot, so it's not just making one move. She's figured out the league pretty quickly, and obviously she was tough to cover."

Finishing Strong

The Lynx pushed their league-leading record to 32-8, two wins shy of matching the 2023 Las Vegas Aces for the most in a single regular season in WNBA history. Albeit, the Lynx would be doing so in 44 games while the Aces did it in 40. And in fairness, neither team will eclipse the winning .900 regular-season winning percentage the 27-3 Houston Comets accumulated en route to the 1998 title.

The Aces will have something to say about keeping their 2023 record intact, as they will host the visiting Lynx at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday in one of two games the Aces will play this season at the biggest arena on the Las Vegas Strip. After that, the Lynx also still have two remaining matchups with the Golden State Valkyries and coach Natalie Nakase, who was an assistant on that 2023 Aces team.

Tip-off for Thursday's highly anticipated contest is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, and the game will be streaming live nationally on Prime Video.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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