After winning 79-56 against the Seattle Storm on Monday night to close out its two-game homestand, the Dallas Wings (6-3) have won three straight games and return to the road for a game against the Los Angeles Sparks (4-5) on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
The three straight wins give the Wings their best start to a season since the franchise relocated to Dallas from Tulsa in 2015. The Wings are currently tied with the Las Vegas Aces and Golden State Valkyries for second
in the Western Conference. The Aces handed the Sparks their second straight loss, 79-69, on Tuesday.
Jessica Shepard’s outsized impact
The next stretch of six games will see the Wings log some serious frequent flyer miles. Because of Awak Kuier’s wrist injury that will keep her out for a week, Jessica Shepard’s minutes will be something to monitor.
Shepard has quickly become an integral part of the Wings’ starting five. She has already recorded two triple-doubles this season, leading Dallas to wins in each of them. Her first triple-double came in the 99-89 win over the Chicago Sky on May 20, and her second came in the 95-87 win against the Aces on May 28.
Shepard is second in the league in rebounds-per-game (11) and ninth in the league in assists-per-game (5.9). Her play has led to an increased role with the team, but the Wings’ coaching staff will need to find her some rest along the way, like they did on Monday against the Storm, when she logged just 23 minutes in the win.
Before the Wings took control of the game against the Storm, Shepard accumulated 19 minutes in the first half. She finished the game with 23 minutes played, resting for much of the fourth quarter. She finished the game with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, eight rebounds and one assist. Her workload against the Sparks and during this stretch will impact the Wings’ performance.
Sparks are explosive
Shepard’s rebounding will be integral against an explosive Sparks’ offense.
Los Angeles ranks fifth in points-per-game (87.9), third in field goal percentage (47%) and has four players averaging double figures. Kelsey Plum averages 26.8 points-per-game, Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike both average 15.3 and Rae Burrell is chipping in 10.4 to start the season.
Defense has been a priority for Dallas. After holding the Storm to 56 points, the Wings have a defensive-rating of 105, good enough for fifth in the WNBA.During the win against Seattle, Azzi Fudd demonstrated her defensive pressure. While she was partially drafted for her shooting, Fudd was also drafted for her defense.
She has shown it multiple times after being inserted into the starting lineup for the last two games. Her defensive performance along with the other Wings players will be an aspect to watch against the high-scoring Sparks offense.
The Wings’ spark off the bench
Dallas is right behind Los Angeles in explosive offense, as they come into Friday’s game averaging 87.8 points per game.
Because Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points-per-game, she usually is the highest scoring Wings player, but she was not on Monday night. Aziaha James led the team in points on Monday night as she scored 18 points off the bench. James went 7-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 from the free throw line as she scored a season high. She scored 15 or more points six times as a rookie last year, including a 28-point explosion last July against the Phoenix Mercury.
James was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and finished her rookie season averaging 7.5 points-per-game for the Wings. She has seen a reduced role to start this season after averaging 18 minutes-per-game last season as she is averaging 12 minutes-per-game. She received a large amount of playing time given the large lead against the Storm and took advantage of it. James is young and can provide another scorer so her amount of minutes and her performance agains the Sparks will be something to monitor.
How to watch
The Wings play at 9 p.m. on Friday at Crpto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The game will be broadcast on ION.
