By: Jennifer Portee
7/13/2026
Paige Bueckers kept the Wings moving, and Dallas kept the game under control just long enough to get out with a 96-91 win over the Sky. The rookie guard finished with 22 points and 11 assists, and the Wings are now on their longest winning streak since 2023.
This one had some give-and-take to it. Chicago hung around, made a few pushes, and got a strong night from Sydney Taylor, but Dallas kept finding the timely answer. Jessica Shepard posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, Arike Ogunbowale added 17, and Azzi Fudd gave Dallas 16 with a stretch that changed the feel of the game late.
Fudd’s biggest play came when the shot clock was about to die. She buried a three, then turned around and blocked a shot on the other end. A possession later, Shepard finished at the rim and Dallas had the lead for good with 3:07 left. Ogunbowale closed it out with a layup in the final minute, finishing off a 15-5 run that put Chicago away.
Li Yueru gave Dallas exactly the kind of frontcourt minutes that don’t always show up right away in a box score. She had 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, and she slowed Kamilla Cardoso after the Sky center came out hot. Cardoso had six points in the first five minutes, then Yueru checked in and changed the tone inside. Cardoso still finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds, but Dallas did a better job making her work.
The Wings had to get through a scare of their own when Alanna Smith left in the first half with a left leg injury and never returned. That was a concern, especially in a game that stayed tight into the last few minutes.
Chicago had chances. Taylor finished with 20, Azura Stevens added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Natasha Cloud scored 15, but the Sky couldn’t get the late offense organized, and Dallas stayed calmer when the game tightened.
After the game, Bueckers also spoke about something bigger than the final score. She addressed the lack of Black women head coaches in the WNBA and said Black women should get the same opportunities to lead as anyone else, pointing out that the league was built on the backs of Black women. It was one of those postgame moments that stuck, because she didn’t sound rehearsed. She sounded like somebody speaking from the room, not from a script.
Dallas gets New York next. Chicago hosts Seattle.