Paige Bueckers And Wings Best Caitlin Clark’s Fever In Battle Of Wnba No 1 Picks

Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points, Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims tallied 20 each, and nan Dallas Wings opened nan caller play pinch a 107-104 triumph complete nan Indiana Fever connected Saturday successful Indianapolis.

Sims, a important portion of Indiana’s playoff tally past season, led nan Wings pinch 12 points aft halftime and made 1 of 2 free throws successful nan last seconds of regulation. Caitlin Clark missed a 32-footer and Indiana fouled Bueckers connected nan rebound, but Bueckers missed some foul shots pinch 1.4 seconds left, giving nan Fever 1 past chance.

With Clark smothered by defenders connected nan inbound play, Kelsey Mitchell uncorked a 3 to necktie but it bounced disconnected nan rim.

Jessica Shepard racked up 13 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists for Dallas, who burned Indiana pinch 25 fast-break points.

Mitchell powered nan Fever’s comeback pinch 11 of her game-high 30 points coming successful nan fourth. Aliyah Boston had 23 points and Clark tallied 20 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds while shooting 2 for 9 from deep.

Clark, who missed overmuch of past play pinch groin and ankle injuries, made her first quality successful a WNBA crippled since 15 July 2025. She joined nan 1,000-point nine connected a layup to adjacent nan 3rd quarter.

The crippled featured nan past 4 No 1 picks successful nan WNBA draft: Boston (2023), Clark (2024), Bueckers (2025) and Dallas defender Azzi Fudd (2026). It was nan first play opener successful WNBA history successful which each squad scored much than 100 points.

“I deliberation it’s awesome for women’s hoops much than anything,” Clark said earlier nan crippled referring to nan 4 No 1 picks. “And you cognize this mightiness beryllium nan first clip this has ever really happened successful sports – having 2 No 1 picks connected some sides. I deliberation it speaks to nan young talent successful this league, really excited fans are astir them and really excited they are astir these 2 teams having america lucifer up successful nan first crippled of nan season.”

Neither squad led by much than 9 arsenic 2 businesslike offenses went tit-for-tat. The Wings changeable 59.1% from nan section and 12 for 23 from three-point range, while nan Fever made 51.9% wide but conscionable 7 of 24 three-point attempts.

Clark near nan chair successful nan waning minutes of nan 3rd play and returned wearing a achromatic wrap astir her little back. She reentered nan crippled and deed nan last layup of nan 3rd to forge a necktie astatine 80.

Clark was not portion of nan Fever’s first lineup for nan 4th fourth but emerged from nan locker room soon after, presumably aft further treatment.

Sims’s fast-break layup made it 97-90 pinch 4 minutes and alteration to play, but Mitchell clawed nan Fever backmost pinch a three-pointer, 1 free propulsion and a three-point play to get it to 99-97 Dallas. Bueckers responded pinch a 20-footer.

Boston missed nan 2nd half of a brace of free throws but stole nan rebound from Bueckers and laid it successful to trim it to 101-100. Then nan Fever forced their 2nd five-second usurpation of nan quarter, but came up quiet connected offense.

Alanna Smith scored for Dallas and Sims deed a changeable complete Clark to make it 105-100 pinch 36.4 seconds left.

After nan Fever pushed successful beforehand early successful nan 2nd connected consecutive three-pointers by Cunningham and Boston, Fudd responded pinch nan first points of her profession connected a area three, and Ogunbowale’s triple restored nan necktie crippled astatine 35. Fudd vanished her WNBA debut pinch conscionable those 3 points and 1 bargain successful 18 minutes.