Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers will sit out Sunday’s matchup with the Las Vegas Aces for rest, the team announced on Saturday.
The Wings are scheduled to play back-to-back games with Sunday’s game versus the Aces followed by Monday’s meeting with the New York Liberty. Bueckers is expected to play Monday against the defending WNBA champions.
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Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, is averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 33% on 3-pointers in 20 games this season. She has missed five games, four of them after suffering a concussion and dealing with a subsequent illness.
But since returning to the Wings’ lineup on June 11, Bueckers had played in 14-of-15 games on the schedule. She also played in July 18’s WNBA All-Star Game, voted into the starting lineup. After Friday’s 86-76 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, Bueckers became the first player in league history to total more than 350 points (362) and 100 assists (111) in the first 20 games of her career.
The one game she sat out during that stretch was June 15’s matchup versus the Washington Mystics due to a right knee issue. Wings coach Chris Koclanes dismissed any speculation toward a more serious injury, saying that Bueckers was scratched from the lineup for precautionary reasons and “managing what’s best for her long-term health.” Playing the past seven games supports that notion.
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Yet knee issues are a concern for Bueckers, especially with her left knee. She missed the entire 2022-23 season at UConn due to a torn ACL and in January, Bueckers missed two games after spraining her left knee versus Villanova.
Dallas does not have another back-to-back during the remaining 17 games on its schedule after Monday’s matchup with the Liberty. At 7-18 going into Sunday, the Wings have the second-worst record in the WNBA, a half-game behind the Chicago Sky.
