Grace

Berger

Bueckers matched her career high in assists on Friday night, recording 10 of them in addition to earning her second career points-assists double-double. Bueckers found four different teammates including Maddy Siegrist, Myisha Hines-Allen, Amy Okonkwo and Grace Berger. She found Siegrist in transition, which has become par for the course. Okonkwo, Hines-Allen and Berger had open driving lanes that Bueckers was able to find. When it came to her scoring, Bueckers attacked the basket and scored most of her points inside the paint, although she hit two shots in the mid-range, her speciality as a scorer. She scored both on and off the ball, driving with the ball in her hands while running around with Rhyne Howard trailing her during Wings quarter court possessions.

After being upgraded from questionable to available on Wednesday against the Sun, Bueckers became a late scratch just before tip-off. Grace Berger is starting in her place as the Wings look to end a five-game losing streak. Both teams enter Wednesday’s contest with nine wins on the season and at the bottom of the WNBA standings.

Quinerly left the Wings most recent game on Wednesday night against the Sparks in the fourth quarter. She came up hobbling after guarding Kelsey Plum on a drive to the basket and couldn’t put much weight on her left leg. With Quinerly unavailable, the Wings will have to play fellow rookie guard Aziaha James and rely more upon third year guard Grace Berger.

While defending a Kelsey Plum drive with 9:09 left in the fourth quarter, rookie guard Quinerly came up hobbling and had trouble putting any weight on her left leg. Quinerly was carried back to the Wings locker room and didn’t return to the floor. As a result, Aziaha James and Grace Berger earned more minutes and closed the game for the Wings.

After signing three 7-day contracts with the Wings previously, Dallas was able to sign Berger to a rest of the season (ROS) contract. Once the midpoint of the WNBA season passes, all hardship contracts become 7-day contracts and a player can only sign three of those with one individual team before that player is able to sign an ROS with that same team. Berger has provided steady minutes during her time with the Wings, giving Dallas another ball handler that can allow Paige Bueckers to play off the ball.

Having played well since joining the Wings on a seven-day contract, Berger was rewarded with the first start of her WNBA career on Sunday. Unfortunately, the 2023 first-round pick struggled, missing all five of her field-goal attempts and offering minimal value. As a result, Berger only played 19 minutes against the Mystics. There wasn’t a need to consider streaming her before Sunday’s game, and the lackluster production confirmed that.

Wings head coach Chris Koclanes has made multiple changes to his starting lineup, the most important of which is Bueckers’ return after missing Friday’s loss to the Liberty with a back injury. She’s back in the fold, which pushes Aziaha James to the bench. The other change is notable, with Berger making her first start as a professional. She’s played well since joining the Wings last month and recently agreed to a third seven-day contract. Dallas will go with a smaller lineup on Sunday, with Li Yueru coming off the bench after starting on Friday.

Bueckers is back after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Liberty, giving Dallas a welcome offensive boost. Her return will push Aziaha James back to the bench. James only played seven minutes against New York, with Grace Berger playing 30 off the bench. While Berger’s minutes may decrease with Bueckers available, she should remain in the rotation.

Hines-Allen returned to play for the Wings after missing around a week and just two games with a left ankle injury. Most of Hines-Allen’s makes came on her taking advantage of smaller wings guarding her as small fours. She was able to outmuscle both Leonie Fiebich and Stephanie Talbot who continue to play out of position with Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally all still out. Hines-Allen made sure to make sure her presence was known on the glass. She and Grace Berger combined for 17 rebounds, over 42% of the Wings total effort on the glass. Hines-Allen also registered two blocks in her return, both of which were on shots from Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison.

Since Paige Bueckers is out with a back injury on Friday night, fellow rookie guard James will join the Wings’ starting lineup. Wings head coach Chris Koclanes decided to call up James rather than larger guard Grace Berger who played 20 minutes and registered four assists against the Liberty on Tuesday.