Overview

• Paige Bueckers scored 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three, tying Cynthia Cooper’s WNBA rookie single-game scoring mark.
• Her 93.1% true shooting made it one of the most efficient 40-plus-point games in league history, trailing only Kelsey Plum’s 2023 outing.
• Kelsey Plum hit the game-winning shot for an 81–80 Sparks victory, keeping Los Angeles in the playoff chase as Dallas was eliminated.
• Plum also set the Sparks’ single-season record for made three-pointers during the game, adding to her late-game heroics.
• WNBA and NBA figures such as Ja Morant, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Green and Magic Johnson praised Bueckers’ night, while Ryan Clark’s post elevating her reignited pushback from Caitlin Clark supporters and renewed comparisons between the two rookies.