In one of their most anticipated games of the week, the Dallas Wings had one big question to answer: who would carry the offensive load with Paige Bueckers sidelined due to an ankle injury? As it turned out, Azzi Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale were more than willing to take on that responsibility. The duo combined for 40 points, with Fudd even making history.

But despite all of that firepower, Dallas still came up one point short in an 84-83 loss to the Portland Fire. So if you ask Ogunbowale, the Wings had nobody to blame for this loss but themselves.

“Stops. We hurt ourselves early in the game and let them get too comfortable,” she said after the game. And the final box score only backed that up.

Bridget Carleton led Portland with 20 points, knocking down six triples to keep the Fire alive throughout the night. But she wasn’t alone. Megan Gustafson added another 16, while Emily Engstler finished with 11 points and delivered the game-winning free throw with just two seconds left on the clock.

But Dallas had its fair share of chances to take home the win. When Jessica Shepard gave them a late lift with a three-point play to push the lead to 76-73, and Azzi Fudd answered with another clutch finish of her own to make it 83-81, only 19 seconds were remaining on the clock. So all they had to do was stop the Fire from scoring for just a few seconds. But Portland refused to go away, as Carla Leite tied things up before Engstler sealed their win from the free-throw line.

However, even in a game that slipped away in the final few seconds, Fudd still managed to walk away with one of the most talked-about performances of the night.

On her way to 18 points, the rookie guard knocked down three triples while also adding two steals and two blocks to show her ability to influence both ends of the floor when the Wings needed it most. So, according to Polymarket, her shooting night pushed her into franchise history, as she became the fastest Wings player to reach 20 career three-pointers. (In 12 games, she has 21 made threes.)

But besides that achievement, Azzi Fudd now also sits at 29 ‘stocks’ – the combined total of steals and blocks. And as per Across The Timeline, she is now just one defensive play away from reaching 30, which would make her the first rookie guard in WNBA history to hit that mark in under 15 games.

For all the positives surrounding Fudd’s historic night, the result also highlighted the impact of Bueckers’ absence. And before tipoff, head coach Jose Fernandez had already offered an update on the star guard’s injury status.

Jose Fernandez Shares Paige Bueckers Injury Update

After her season-high 31-point performance against the Phoenix Mercury, Bueckers eased concerns among Dallas Wings fans by insisting that her ankle injury was not serious and that she would “do everything possible to get recovered and have it feeling better” by the next day.

She was initially listed as questionable for the matchup against the Fire, but her status was downgraded to out just hours before tipoff. Ahead of the game, head coach Jose Fernandez explained the reasoning behind that decision.

“I think she’s going to be day-to-day,” Fernandez said as per reporter Grant Afseth. “It’s a long season, and caution is important. After the flight out here, it was the best decision for her to get rest tonight and get healed up.”

“We’ve got a long year. Paige is who she is, and trust me, she wants to be on the floor tonight. But the best thing for her longevity, her career, and the franchise is making sure we take care of her and that she takes care of her body,” he continued. 

So, with Bueckers’ status remaining day-to-day, the Wings will continue to lean heavily on Azzi Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale to carry the offensive load. Given that Dallas finished just 10-34 a season ago, their 8-5 start has been a significant step forward, making it all the more important to keep the momentum rolling during Bueckers’ absence.

Next up, Dallas will turn its attention to a tough showdown against the Las Vegas Aces on June 15, which comes with an extra layer attached, with the Aces looking for revenge after already dropping one game to the Wings earlier this season.

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