Wings can clinch playoff spot with win over Fire — SkimNews
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- Dallas Wings enter Tuesday's home game against Portland needing one win to clinch the WNBA's final playoff spot, a turnaround for a franchise that hasn't reached the postseason since 2023.
- Megan DiLeo scored 21 points in Portland's Sunday loss to Washington, setting a team record with 179 field goals made this season, surpassing Sophia Witherspoon's mark of 175 from 2000.
- Azzi Fudd, Dallas's No. 1 overall rookie pick, will miss the rest of the season and undergo right knee surgery after averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 steals (fifth in the WNBA) and a team-best +13.1 net rating.
- Paige Bueckers scored 32 points on 6-for-6 shooting from three-point range in Sunday's 92-70 rout of Seattle, tying the WNBA record for most three-pointers made without a miss in a game and outscoring the Storm 18-17 in the first quarter by herself.
- Jessica Shepard recorded her team-record 21st double-double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds), making her the only WNBA player this year with at least 400 rebounds and 175 assists.
- Portland is last in the WNBA in rebounding and was outrebounded at the free-throw line 44-15 by Washington on Sunday, a glaring flaw the Fire have struggled with all season.
- Dallas is an 8.5-point favorite with the total set at 177.5, and models project a win in the range of 93-86 as the Wings sit 12-6 at home and have tied a single-season team record with 22 wins since relocating from Detroit.
Why it matters: A Dallas win locks in the WNBA's eight-team playoff field and caps a rebound season for a franchise that missed the postseason in 2023, while Dallas's 22 wins already tying the team's single-season record since the Detroit move shows the Fudd injury hasn't derailed them.
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