As the Dallas Wings entered their third game of the 2026 WNBA season, very few fans expected them to lose. Even ESPN Analytics gave Dallas a 55.2% chance of winning. But after watching his team completely collapse late against the Minnesota Lynx, head coach Jose Fernandez was clearly left frustrated.
Even though the Wings led by double digits at the start and got a 27-point night from Paige Bueckers, they completely fell apart late and eventually suffered a crushing 90-86 home loss. So, while addressing what he believes is becoming a growing issue inside the locker room, Coach Fernandez did not hold back.
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“There’s selfishness in this locker room,” he said during a postgame interview. “You gotta look in the mirror and be accountable on how you played. Don’t get upset if you think that you should’ve played more, or you didn’t play enough, or you didn’t get the shots that you think you should have gotten.”
“Really good teams, they don’t give a s*** about that. You know what they give a s*** about? They give a s*** about winning,” he added.
Jose Fernandez openly questioning his team’s mentality, only three games into the season, definitely raised some eyebrows. However, ironically, the timing of his saying this also stands out, as just before the game, Paige Bueckers herself admitted she was trying to become “more selfish.” But while the second-year star finally looked more aggressive, the coach’s comments made it clear that Dallas is still trying to find the right balance between individual growth and team basketball. There were plenty of reasons for frustration during the loss.
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Dallas opened the night with far more energy and confidence as Bueckers came out firing as soon as the whistle went off and scored seven points in the first four minutes, which forced Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve to call an early timeout.
But then the Wings’ turnovers started piling up, their defensive rotations completely broke down, and they struggled in the fourth quarter, just like they did in their last game against the Atlanta Dream. In the final 3 minutes of the game, the Wings only scored 3 points and struggled to rotate the ball, while their opponents repeatedly found uncontested lanes to the basket.
Now, whether that collapse happened because the pressure got to the players or because too many individuals were trying to force their own moments is up for debate. But the head coach clearly seems to believe it was the latter because, in a star-studded lineup like this, it’s not hard to believe that players are looking for their own moment to shine.
“They got everything they wanted,” the coach said. “We went over ball screens, we switched, we trapped. When things are not going well for you offensively, you’ve got to play a lot harder on the defensive end.”
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Even Bueckers acknowledged that their defense let the game slip away. “We’ve got to be better in our pick-and-roll defense. We’ve got to give ourselves grace but keep the urgency to learn and grow.”
Dallas now owns a 1-2 record, but with it still being early in the season, there’s plenty of time to turn things around.
What’s next for Jose Fernandez and the Wings?
With this loss in their bag, the Dallas Wings have had their only win coming against the Indiana Fever in the season opener.
Sure, it’s not the start Dallas would have wanted, but this team is still trying to build chemistry together. And it is also worth noting that their latest game did not come without positives either.
Bueckers is beginning to look far more comfortable as the centerpiece of the offense. The 24-year-old finished the night with 27 points and eight assists while shooting confidently from all over the floor.
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But the problem is, you can rarely go so far in this sport with only a single piece clicking.
So now, alongside fixing the team’s defensive mistakes and late-game execution, Jose Fernandez also needs to make sure this roster fully buys into the same mindset.
With their next game all set to take place on May 18th against the Washington Mystics, all eyes will be on this team to see how they respond.
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