The most anticipated game during the opening weekend of the 2025 WNBA season will pit the Indiana Fever against the Chicago Sky in the latest installment of the budding Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry.
But there will be another intriguing game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings this Friday. The Lynx finished 30-10 and claimed the top seed in the Western Conference, and they’re expected to have a shot at winning the championship this year.
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This game will be the pro debut of Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in last month’s draft. Minnesota’s Natisha Hiedeman admitted that she’s looking forward to playing against Bueckers.
“Paige (Bueckers) is a great player so I’m excited to match up against her. Dallas has got a lot of great players over there, a lot of new additions, honestly their a completely different team, so I’m super excited”
Bueckers was a big star at UConn, where she ended her college career with averages of 19.8 points and 4.6 assists a game. The six-foot guard put up 19.9 points a game and shot 53.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range while leading the Huskies to the NCAA women’s championship.
Cameron Brink guarding Paige Bueckers during a 2022 college game.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
She can score adeptly from all three levels, and some have compared her offensive game to that of Sue Bird, the Hall of Famer who starred for the Seattle Storm from 2002 to 2022. Some have even suggested her game is also similar to that of Caitlin Clark, but her mid-range game is more reliable, and she’s a stronger defender.
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The Wings badly need Bueckers’ star mojo. They went 9-31 last year, and they have had a winning record just once since moving to Dallas for the 2016 season.
Related: New WNBA Ranking Clearly Picks Between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
