Paige Bueckers Drops 17 in the Final Stretch as Dallas Steals an OT Win and a WNBA Milestone

Paige Bueckers pretty much did everything Monday night. And then she did a little more.

The Dallas Wings guard dropped 27 points on the Seattle Storm, dragged her team back from a six-point hole with 84 seconds left in regulation, and scored the 1,000th point of her WNBA career in overtime. It happened on a bucket that put Dallas up 109-108, and it tied her with Elena Delle Donne for the fourth-fastest player in league history to hit that mark — 52 games. Not bad for a second-year pro who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

The comeback that almost didn’t happen

Seattle had this game. The Storm led 94-88 with 1:24 on the clock. Then Bueckers flipped a switch. She scored Dallas’ last eight points of regulation — including back-to-back threes — to force overtime. In total, she accounted for 17 of the Wings’ final 24 points across the last five minutes of the fourth and OT. That’s not a hot streak. That’s a takeover.

And it wasn’t just her. Azzi Fudd put up a career-high 26 points, including the go-ahead layup with 13.2 seconds left in OT that made it 111-110. Jessica Shepard came up with a huge steal on the other end, and Aziaha James hit a free throw to ice it. James finished with 18 off the bench. Shepard stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine boards, and eight assists. Dallas also set a WNBA record with 48 made field goals, which is absurd.

Seattle’s bright spot (and 11th straight loss)

The Storm came in on a losing streak and left with another one after a gut-punch of a game. Rookie center Dominique Malonga was incredible — 37 points, 12 rebounds, and she became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 200 career field goals at 20 years and 219 days old. Natisha Hiedeman added 21 points and 11 assists. Awa Fam chipped in 18. But none of it was enough.

Seattle has now dropped 11 straight. That’s rough, but losing to a Dallas team that just keeps finding ways to win is no embarrassment. The Wings are 11-6 and legit.

Dallas heads to Vegas to face the Aces on Thursday. The Storm go home to host the New York Liberty. Both games should be worth watching, but Monday night belonged to Bueckers and the Wings.