The Dallas Wings (9-5) travel to face the Golden State Valkyries (9-5) on Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. at the Chase Center.
Paige Bueckers returned to the Dallas lineup as the Wings dominated against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in a 96-66 win on Monday night. Dallas does not have much time to enjoy the win as the team needs to prepare for its quick trip to California to face Golden State. The game is the final game of a five-game stretch played in nine days.
After losses to the
Minnesota Lynx and Aces, the Valkyries have won the last three games. The most recent win was a 78-58 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on Monday night.
The challenge of Gabby Williams
The Golden State offense is led by forward Gabby Williams, who averages 15.7 points per game.
Williams can shoot from beyond the arc, shooting 38.2%, but most of her points come near the basket. She has the ability to get to the rim with ease. Williams also passes the ball to her teammates at the 3-point line after moving into the paint. Because of the extra space created by Williams, the Valkyries are fourth in the WNBA with a 36.3 shooting percentage from the 3-point line.
Dallas limited the Aces to 24% from the 3-point line in its win as well as limiting two-time defending MVP Aja Wilson. She finished with 18 points, which is below her average of 25.6 points per game that leads the WNBA.
Awak Kuier played a part in limiting Wilson. She made her first start of the season and finished with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. She could make her second start as Dallas tries to limit Williams, and Jose Fernandez continues to tinker with the position opposite Jessica Shepard in the frontcourt.
Golden State rim protection
The Wings offense faced no problems against a Las Vegas defense that ranks second in the W with 5.9 blocks per game. Dallas scored 96 points shooting 49% from the field and 36% from the 3-point line.
Golden State presents a similar threat as the team ranks fifth in the W with 4.4 blocks per game.
Dallas has mixed results against teams ranking in the top five of blocks per game. Minnesota is third in the WNBA, and the Wings have lost both times against the Lynx this season. However, Dallas beat the Chicago Sky who lead the league with 6.1 blocks per game.
In the wins against the Aces and Sky, the Wings shot well from the 3-point line, but shot poorly from the 3-point line in the losses to the Lynx.
Last season, Dallas was second to last in the WNBA with a 30.6% from the 3-point line and focused on improving its shooting in the offseason. This season, the Wings are sixth in the WNBA with a 33.6% from beyond the arc.
Arike Ogunbowale Scoring
The Wings offense is led by Bueckers and Shepard. However, Bueckers is recovering from a turned ankle so Dallas needs some help on the offensive side. Arike Ogunbowale is the logical answer because of her reputation as a scorer.
Since being drafted by the Wings in 2019, Ogunbowale has scored at a high level. Dallas brought her back in the offseason with a seven-figure multi-year contract although she had a career low last season with 15.5 points per game.
There have been moments this season where Ogunbowale has led the team in points, but there are also moments where she does not contribute to the offense. She has not reached double figures in five games this season, but she has scored 22 points in each of the last two games. Her production will be important against Golden State as Dallas needs scorers to maintain its high scoring offense.
