WNBA Player News

Between the Big East tournament during her time at UConn and Dallas’ two road victories over the Sun this season, Bueckers has yet to lose a game at Mohegan Sun Arena. The rookie led four Wings players in double figures on Friday, with that balance compensating for Arike Ogunbowale (7/2/1/1) shooting just 2-of-9 from the field. Since returning from a concussion, Bueckers has scored at least 20 points in three of four outings. And with Friday’s victory, the 3-11 Wings have won consecutive games for the first time this season. They’ll look to extend their win streak to three on Sunday when they visit the Mystics.

Hillmon subbed in for Brittney Griner (nine points and four rebounds) with 6:14 remaining in the first quarter, making franchise history. The fourth-year forward has appeared in 130 straight games, the most in Dream history. Unfortunately, Hillmon’s production did not match the occasion, as she missed all four of her three-point attempts against the Aces. Despite coming off the bench, Hillmon is one of the players Atlanta needs to provide additional production as Rhyne Howard recovers from a knee injury.

Canada started well on Tuesday, shooting 2-of-3 from the field in the first quarter. Unfortunately for her and the Dream, that was the high point for the veteran point guard in the team’s first game out of the All-Star break. Canada shot 2-of-10 from the field in the final three quarters, and the Dream’s having two quarters of 13 points or less proved costly. With Rhyne Howard out through the end of July with a knee injury, there’s a greater need for Canada to score in addition to her usual playmaking duties. The assist tally on Tuesday was solid, but she left a bit on the table scoring-wise.

Coming off her third straight All-Star Game appearance, Gray looked sharp offensively during the first three quarters of Tuesday’s game. However, she would miss her lone shot attempt in the fourth quarter, which factored into Las Vegas limiting the Dream to 13 points. Gray finished a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line, and Tuesday’s game was her first with at least 20 points scored since July 7. The Dream guard has been one of the team’s most consistent performers this season, and that will need to remain the case as Atlanta continues without the injured Rhyne Howard.

With Jackie Young’s playing time limited due to a lower-body injury and Jewell Loyd (seven points, three rebounds, three steals and one three-pointer) struggling offensively, the Aces needed increased production from their bench on Tuesday. Enter Evans, who scored 11 points during the first half as Las Vegas took a six-point lead into the break. While she only scored three points in the second half, Evans’ production helped put the Aces in position to pick up a much-needed victory. Tuesday’s performance isn’t enough to make her relevant in fantasy leagues, but Las Vegas will need consistent production from Evans moving forward as they look to climb up the standings.

Magbegor almost recorded a double-double on Tuesday, though she failed to land her usual scoring efficiency. The veteran center connected on just 28.5 percent of her shots after shooting 1-of-5 from the field in the previous game against Golden State. Skylar Diggins’ absence (personal reasons) may have cost Magbegor some easier looks against the Wings. Diggins’ status for Thursday’s game against Chicago is unknown at this time, but fantasy managers will hope Magbegor can find her way regardless of the all-star point guard’s availability.

Williams had another strong all-around performance on Tuesday, providing great fantasy production on both ends of the floor. On defense, it was her active hands that led her to record four or more steals for the fifth time this season, while she nearly tallied enough assists on the offensive end to earn her third double-double this year. With her unique two-way abilities, Williams continues to perform as one of the top forwards in fantasy leagues, enjoying a career-best year in her seventh WNBA season.

Initially questionable for Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, Young started but only played 24 minutes. And she was not at her best offensively, shooting 30 percent from the field and lacking her usual burst off the dribble. The good news for the Aces was that Young was able to get the foul line, leading all players with eight attempts. Add in the rebounds, assists and steals, and Young’s injury did not keep fantasy managers from receiving solid value. Las Vegas visits Indiana on Thursday, so she may log similar minutes due to the injury.

Last season’s unanimous MVP once again led the way for the Aces, who opened the post-break portion of their schedule with a needed victory. Wilson shot 5-of-12 from the field in the first half, finishing with her eighth double-double with at least 20 points scored this season. Add in the assists and defensive stats, and the three-time MVP rewarded fantasy managers with an excellent stat line. Also, Wilson played 31 minutes and did not appear to experience any issues with her injured right wrist. Having a healthy Wilson on the court is paramount for the Aces, who now trail Atlanta by one game in the loss column for fifth in the WNBA standings.

Ogwumike had an unusual final line, scoring more than 20 points but having little impact in any other statistical category on Tuesday. It took the veteran forward until almost the halfway point of the fourth quarter to land her first rebound, while she failed to record an assist, block or steal in the same game for the first time this season. It was a frustrating night overall for the Storm, which was underscored by a flagrant foul delivered by Ogwumike in the latter part of the third quarter. She will hope to get the Storm back on track against the Sky on Thursday.

Bueckers was on pace to have one of her least productive scoring outings in quite some time, until she came alive in the third quarter to finish with a productive line overall. The rookie guard notched 12 points and four assists in the second half, and proved that she is capable of getting back on track quickly in any game. Bueckers is enjoying a very strong rookie campaign and will look to add to it on Friday when Dallas takes on Golden State.