Paige Bueckers tied a WNBA record Sunday night. Not just any WNBA record. She matched something Katie Smith did back in 2003, and that tells you how hot the Dallas Wings guard has been lately.
Here’s what happened. Bueckers went for 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds in the Wings’ 89-76 win over the Toronto Tempo. She shot 9-of-16 from the floor. That makes five straight games where she’s scored at least 20 points while shooting 50 percent or better from the field. According to ESPN Research, that ties Smith’s run in 2003 for the longest such streak by a guard in league history.
Five games in a row, shooting over 50 percent, scoring 20-plus each night. That’s not just efficient. That’s consistent in a way guards don’t usually manage.
Bueckers is in her second WNBA season with the Wings. She won Rookie of the Year last year and made the All-Star team. But this year the stakes are higher. The Wings were a lottery team in 2024. Now they’re trying to jump into the playoffs. Through 21 games, they sit at 13-8. That’s fourth in the Western Conference, ahead of Los Angeles and Portland but trailing Golden State and Las Vegas.
The win over Toronto was a team effort. Five Wings hit double figures. Azzi Fudd added 17 points, hitting five threes. Jessica Shepard posted 14 points and 15 rebounds. Arike Ogunbowale and Awak Kuier each chipped in 10. But Bueckers was the engine.
She played 31 minutes. Shot 9-of-16. Went 3-of-3 from the line. Didn’t force much. She just kept doing what she’s been doing for weeks now.
Wings head coach Chris Koclanes didn’t have much to say about the record after the game. He was more focused on the next one. The Wings head to New York on July 7 to face the Liberty. That’s a test against one of the league’s best teams.
But for now, Bueckers has her name next to Katie Smith in the record books. Smith was a seven-time All-Star. She’s in the Hall of Fame. That’s not bad company for a second-year guard trying to drag a former lottery team into contention.
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