Paige Bueckers Dominates, Leads Breeze Over Defending Champion In Unrivaled Playoffs

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers got right back on track with a big first playoff game.

Aug 15, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts in front of Los Angeles Sparks guard Julie Allemand (20) during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Unrivaled League started its postseason on Saturday night, giving Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers her first taste of the playoffs in her professional career. She didn't come close to the playoffs with the Wings, as they had the worst record in the WNBA, but it's a welcome sight to see Bueckers in a competitive atmosphere with Breeze BC in the Unrivaled League.

Their matchup for the first round was against Rose BC, the reigning Unrivaled champion, and likely MVP Chelsea Gray. Breeze dominated the last game between these teams, but Rose has added Angel Reese back to the team since then.

That did not make a difference in this playoff matchup. Paige Bueckers started the game with a quick 8 points, but five straight points at the end of the first quarter by Courtney Williams helped Breeze establish an 8-point lead, and she hit another three to start the second quarter to push the lead to 11.

The lead would never get below 8 for the rest of the game. Coming out of halftime with the lead still at 8, Paige Bueckers would put her imprint on the game and put it away, scoring 12 points in the frame. Rose only scored 11 in the third, and Bueckers was getting a lot of help from Dominique Malonga and Rickea Jackson in the period, as well. That gave them a 17-point advantage heading into the fourth, and Breeze could somewhat coast the rest of the way.

By the end, Breeze had a 69-50 victory over the defending champions, and Breeze advances to the next round of the playoffs, where they will play the second-seeded Mist BC, who just beat them two games ago, 95-70.

IN HER BAG 😤 @paigebueckers1 is our @MillerLite player of the game! pic.twitter.com/jfvBGosVma

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 1, 2026

Paige Bueckers Outshines Likely MVP Chelsea Gray

Bueckers was tremendous in this game, finishing with 29 points on 11/19 shooting, including 4/5 from three, which usually isn't her strong suit. She also got some big help from Dominique Malonga, who had a monster game: 14 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

That was enough to outperform her fellow First-Team All-Unrivaled selection, Chelsea Gray, who had just 11 points on 5/18 shooting, as well as 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Gray is likely to take home the MVP after leading Unrivaled in scoring and assists. But she underperformed in this game, as well as in the last game against Bueckers and Breeze. Could that have impacted voting before it closed?