Cameron Brink and the Los Angeles Sparks outpaced Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on Friday night, earning a hard-fought 97-96 win behind seven rebounds from the standout forward.
Despite the loss, Bueckers reached a milestone in her rookie campaign, setting the franchise’s single-season rookie assist record with her 143rd assist of the year and becoming the fastest rookie in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 100 assists.
Despite a strong performance from Paige Bueckers, who finished with 29 points, five assists and four rebounds, the Wings couldn’t come away with the win. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft continues to impress in her rookie campaign.
Brink did not attempt a shot in the game, finishing with three points from the free-throw line, while Kelsey Plum led the way with 28 points and Dearica Hamby added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help fuel a smooth, balanced Sparks offense.
Dallas, now 9-25, remains in the bottom three of the WNBA standings despite Bueckers’ standout season, where she’s averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
The Sparks came out hot, building an early 11-point lead behind a dominant start from Hamby, who tallied 16 points, four rebounds and two steals on 54.5% shooting in the first half. Rickea Jackson added 13 points, and Plum chipped in 12. Brink struggled to find her offensive rhythm but grabbed three rebounds.
Dallas found its spark off the bench, outscoring Los Angeles’ reserves 18-4 in the opening half. Bueckers led the Wings with 15 points, three assists and a rebound, while Luisa Geiselsöder added nine points to help Dallas cut the deficit to 53-50 at the break.
The Sparks began to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Wings 27-18 to take an 80-68 lead into the final frame. But Dallas refused to go down quietly, cutting the deficit to six on a layup and free throw by Bueckers with under 2:30 remaining.
A Bueckers-assisted jumper by Aziaha James made it a four-point game, and another Bueckers bucket, followed by an offensive charge on the Sparks, set up JJ Quinerly to knock down a clutch three-pointer with 15 seconds left, pulling Dallas within one. However, Bueckers’ final three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short, and the Sparks escaped with the narrow win.
The Sparks will aim for their second straight win Sunday against the Mystics in Washington, D.C., while the Wings shift their focus to a tough road matchup against the red-hot Las Vegas Aces, who are riding a five-game win streak.