Paige Bueckers Scores 21 as Brittney Griner, Dream Beat Wings Behind Hillmon's GW Shot

Paige Bueckers put together another outstanding outing on Wednesday, but her Dallas Wings came up short against the Atlanta Dream, 88-85.

The Dream led by as many as eight points in the final quarter, but the Wings kept things close and eventually took the lead in the final minutes. The two sides traded a few baskets before Atlanta's Te-Hina Paopao gave her squad a two-point lead with half a minute to play.

Arike Ogunbowale answered, hitting a jump shot to tie things up with just 20 seconds to play. Ogunbowale's clutch bucket wasn't enough, though, as Naz Hillmon hit a three to take the lead, leaving just two seconds for the Wings to respond, but they couldn't.  

Despite the loss, Bueckers continued her strong rookie season. She put up 21 points and seven assists in the loss.

Bueckers is well on her way to winning WNBA Rookie of the Year and is putting up one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 18.2 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 boards per game and 1.9 steals per game, leading her team in all of those stats aside from rebounds.

But Bueckers' phenomenal rookie season hasn't translated to wins for Dallas. The Wings are 8-20 on the season, sitting in 11th place in the WNBA standings. While the playoffs are likely out of reach at this point, Dallas has made strides this year and is just one win away from matching its win total from the 2024 campaign.