Bueckers' 22 points, 11 rebounds help Wings beat Sky 96-81, extend win streak to 5 games

DALLAS -- — Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists, Jessica Shepard added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Wings beat the Chicago Sky 96-91 on Sunday.

The Wings (16-8) have won a season-high five straight games, their longest streak since also winning five in a row in 2023.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 17 points and Azzi Fudd 16 for Dallas at the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Mavericks, in front of a crowd of 13,236.

Li Yueru had 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds and slowed down Chicago's Kamilla Cardoso after a hot start. Cardoso had six points on 3-of-5 shooting and five rebounds in the first five minutes before Yueru came off the bench.

Cardoso finished 6 of 12 from the field with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Fudd hit a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired and then blocked a shot at the other end before Shepard made layup that gave Dallas the lead for good with 3:07 left. Ogunbowale made a layup with 42 seconds left that capped a 15-5 run and made it 94-89.

Sydney Taylor led the Sky (7-16) with 20 points, Azura Stevens added 18 and a season-high 13 rebounds, and Natasha Cloud scored 15.

Dallas' Alanna Smith left the game in the first half due to a left leg injury and did not return.

Chicago's Skylar Diggins missed her third consecutive game due to a knee injury. The six-time All-WNBA pick (four first-team selections), who signed a two-year deal with the club in April, announced Monday on Instagram that she had been informed by the club that she would be coming off the bench. The soon-to-be 36-year-old missed her first game Tuesday, a 77-66 win at Phoenix, despite not appearing on the injury report until 90 minutes before tipoff.

Diggins has started the last 277 regular-season games she has played, beginning in 2016 for Dallas.

Up next

Sky: Host Seattle on Wednesday.

Wings: Host New York on Thursday.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball