No. 8 Dallas punched its ticket, clinching the WNBA’s final playoff berth with last night’s 96-78 rout of No. 9 Portland — ending a postseason drought dating to 2023.
Paige Bueckers notched a 22-point, 11-assist double-double, leading a balanced attack that saw all five Dallas starters reach double-digit scoring.
The Wings took a 50-37 halftime lead before sealing the deal with a 15-4 third-quarter burst, officially eliminating the Fire from playoff contention.
Despite losing No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd to a season-ending knee injury, the 23-16 Wings have already logged their highest wins total since moving to Dallas in 2016.
They now sit two games below fifth place as the race to secure playoff seeding tightens with five regular-season games to go.
“It means a lot, just in terms of all we’ve overcome throughout this season,” Bueckers said postgame. “We want to keep building and don’t want to get complacent.”
Dallas looks to improve its record against No. 14 Connecticut on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass).
