On Friday night, the highly anticipated matchup between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark fell through once again. With Clark sidelined by injury, while Bueckers tried to will the Dallas Wings past the Fever, only to fall 88-78. While the scoreboard wasn’t kind to the Wings, a late-game injury scare for their star guard stole the spotlight before she reassured everyone with an update postgame.
How Serious Was Paige Bueckers’s scary Fall Late in the Game?
With just under four minutes left in the third quarter, Bueckers collided hard with an Aliyah Boston screen, crashing to the floor and clutching her leg in visible pain. The Wings’ bench and fans held their breath as the 23-year-old stayed down for several tense moments before slowly getting to her feet and walking to the sideline under her own power.
Fortunately for the Wings, Bueckers was able to return in the fourth quarter, finishing the night strong despite the earlier knock. Speaking to reporters after the game, she downplayed the severity of the incident.
“I’m fine, just a normal basketball knee-to-the-thigh sort of thing,” Bueckers explained. “It hurts in the moment, probably will hurt tomorrow, but you just gotta work it out. It was a very physical game. I thought we only matched it starting in the fourth quarter, so we know now we have to bring that for all four quarters.”
This latest scare carries extra weight given Bueckers’ history. The rookie sensation has openly discussed her long-term struggle with patellar tendinitis, an issue that dates back to high school and requires constant management.
“There’s no day where it probably doesn’t hurt,” she once admitted about the chronic knee discomfort she plays through regularly.
This collision served as another reminder of how much she’s willing to endure to keep her team’s hopes alive.
Can Bueckers Keep the Wings’ Playoff Hopes Alive?
Friday’s loss marked the 15th regular-season game Clark has missed this season due to a right groin injury. The former Iowa star has only played in one of the three Fever-Wings matchups this campaign, meaning fans have been denied the much-anticipated Clark-Bueckers rivalry showdown more often than not.
The last time the two met on court, their duel drew over 2.1 million viewers, peaking at 2.5 million, proving just how magnetic this pairing is for the league.
Without Clark, the Fever still got the job done, leaving Bueckers to put up a lone fight for the Wings. At halftime, when the Wings trailed 48-42, she had outscored the rest of the starting lineup combined, tallying 15 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting. She eventually closed with 22 points, four assists, and four rebounds in a team-high 34 minutes, marking her 12th 20-point game of the season.
However, her individual brilliance hasn’t been enough to stop the Wings from sliding. The Wings are now 8-21 and have dropped eight of their last 10 games. They now sit 11th in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index with just a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs. When Bueckers isn’t on the floor, the Wings are 1-4, highlighting how heavily they depend on her to keep their offense alive.
The numbers tell a brutal story for Dallas. With each loss, their mathematical elimination creeps closer while Bueckers continues carrying an unsustainable load.
For now, the Fever got the upper hand without Clark, but the rivalry isn’t done yet. Fans can circle Tuesday, August 12, when the two stars are scheduled to clash once again, hopefully this time both fully healthy and on the court.
