After its 104-96 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night, the Dallas Wings hold a four-game winning streak, putting the team at the top of the WNBA. Dallas faces the Minnesota Lynx, a team holding the best record in the WNBA, on Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Target Center.
While Dallas has its own winning streak, Minnesota has its own streak. The Lynx earned its seventh straight win with a 88-68 win over the Seattle Storm on Saturday afternoon.
Since its 86-79 loss to the
Chicago Sky on May 17, Minnesota has kept winning and earned a 9-2 record that leads the WNBA and of course the Western Conference. Being at the top of the Western Conference is normal for the Lynx as the team has led the conference for the past two seasons, earning at least 30 wins in both seasons.
The Wings strong start puts them tied at second in the Western Conference with the Las Vegas Aces at a 7-3 record. The game against Minnesota provides Dallas with a chance to compare itself to a top team as the Wings try to put themselves back at the top of the WNBA after selecting the first pick in the past two WNBA Drafts.
Another high scoring game
Part of the success in Dallas has been its offense. Four players are averaging double figures as Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points-per-game. Arike Ogunbowale averages 14.8 points-per-game, Jessica Shepard averages 13.5 points-per-game and Azzi Fudd averages 12 points-per-game, leading to the Wings being in the top of the WNBA statistics for offense. Dallas ranks second in points-per-game (89.4) and fourth in field goal percentage (46.1%) as the offense has helped the team earn big wins to start the season.
However, Dallas is facing the best offense in the WNBA on Tuesday night. Minnesota leads the WNBA with an average of 90.3 points-per-game and a field goal percentage of 49.9% as well as four players averaging double figures. Three of the players are averaging 17 points as both Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams average 17.1 points-per-game while Olivia Miles leads the team with 17.2 points-per-game. Kayla McBride averages 13.1 points-per-game.
Who guards Olivia Miles?
Although Olivia Miles was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA Draft in April, she has quickly acclimated to the WNBA as she leads the Lynx in points-per-game. Miles also broke a Caitlin Clark rookie record with her performance in the 87-84 win over the Golden State Valkyries on June 5. Miles hit eight 3-pointers as she scored a season-high 28 points. Clark had the record with seven 3-pointers made in a game tied with Crystal Robinson.
Miles will be a threat on Tuesday night, but Dallas has faced similar scoring threats during this win streak. The Wings faced Kelsey Plum, who leads the WNBA in points-per-game (26.9), on Friday night.
Although Dallas won the game, Plum was a problem as she finished with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Plum was mostly guarded by Bueckers or Ogunbowale but given the lack of success maybe Dallas chooses to have a battle of the top picks in the WNBA Draft. Dallas took Fudd with the top pick in the WNBA Draft in part for her defensive abilities. Fudd has been inserted into the starting lineup so maybe she begins drawing the top offensive threat on defense with Miles on Tuesday night.
Clipped Wings
In the win over the Los Angeles Sparks, Odyssey Sims left the game early in the second quarter due to a left ankle injury. The injury caused Ogunbowale to log 34:27 minutes as she scored 30 points in the win. Sims was not the only player to get injured as Aziaha James was helped off the court later in the game.
The injuries add to the list that already has Li Yueru and Awak Kuier. The injuries led to Bueckers, Fudd, Ogunbowale and Shepard to all log at least 34 minutes of playing time. Ogunbowale’s minutes were the lowest with 34 minutes played while Shepard had the highest amount with 38 minutes played.
Rest will be needed during this stretch. Dallas played on Friday in Los Angeles and will play in Minnesota on Tuesday before playing in Dallas on Thursday. Then, the Wings will travel to Portland for the next game.
Following practice on Saturday, Jose Fernandez said Kuier, James and Yueru were all full participants in practice while Sims is still being evaluated. Time will tell who will be on the injury report for Tuesday’s game.
How to Watch
The Wings play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Target Center in Minneapolis. The game will be locally broadcast on KFAA Channel 29.
