The Dallas Wings didn’t just beat the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night. They sent a message that should have every contender in the WNBA on high alert. And at the center of it all? The duo everyone saw coming — but nobody can stop.
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd put on a clinic in Dallas’s 85-70 demolition of Phoenix, combining for 48 points in a performance that had insiders buzzing long after the final buzzer. Bueckers dropped a season-high 31 points, while Fudd chipped in 17, and the chemistry between the former UConn teammates looked almost unfair.
“It’s eight-plus years of playing together, playing against each other,” Bueckers said after the game. “That chemistry doesn’t just go away.”
According to sources close to the Wings organization, the pairing has exceeded even internal expectations. One team insider told us that Bueckers and Fudd have developed an almost telepathic connection on the court — a dynamic that opposing defenses are reportedly struggling to game-plan for.
In the first half alone, Bueckers torched the Mercury for 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting, repeatedly finding Fudd in pockets of space whenever Phoenix sent help. Bueckers joked about their partnership, saying, “Every time I pass it to her, I tell her to shoot it, so she gives me assists.”
But the real story might be what this win signals for the Wings as a whole. Dallas is now 8-4 to start the 2026 season, with marquee victories over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and this Mercury squad. Jessica Shepard added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in a quietly dominant all-around effort — and some observers believe the Wings could be building toward a deep playoff run.
“They’re not just a two-woman show,” one scout said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But when Bueckers and Fudd are both clicking like this, it changes the geometry of the game. Defenses have to pick their poison.”
What’s next? Speculation is already swirling about whether the Wings can sustain this pace. But if Thursday night was any indication, Dallas might not just be dangerous — they might be inevitable. And Bueckers and Fudd are reportedly just scratching the surface of what they can do together.
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