The Rookie of the Year race is heating up, and Paige Bueckers just threw down her biggest statement yet. Dropping a jaw-dropping 44 points against the Sparks, she tied a WNBA rookie record and delivered the league’s highest-scoring game this season. But despite her heroics, the Wings still fell 81-80, ending their playoff hopes on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater. Now, though, some are questioning whether her historic night was pure skill—or simply the result of shaky defense from the opposition.

Paige Bueckers had a tough Friday night, scoring just 11 points as the Dallas Wings suffered a crushing 95-60 home loss to Skylar Diggins and the Seattle Storm. But the bigger conversation sparked off the court when a fan on X called out the Wings’ home broadcasters, accusing them of disrespecting Paige’s earlier historic performance. In response to another fan who asked, “Did that announcer just discredit Paige’s 44 pt game?” one user replied, “Yep. Instead of glazing her, the Dallas HOME announcers said her 44 point game was an ‘anomaly’ because the Sparks played bad defense.”

Now, Paige Bueckers’ outing against the Spark was no ordinary night. That made Bueckers the first player since 1968 to score 40+ in both an NCAA Tournament game and a WNBA/NBA game in the same calendar year. Only legends Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes have ever done that. She also broke Candace Parker’s rookie scoring record of 40 set in 2008 and became the first rookie in Dallas franchise history to hit 40+, finishing a perfect 4-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 from the line. Besides that, she also..

• Became the first player in league history to drop 40+ points while shooting at least 80% from the field
• Tied franchise record for most FGM in a game
• Moved to No. 1 in franchise history for most 10+ point games in a rookie season
• Tied Arike Ogunbowale for No. 2 in franchise history for most 35+ point games in a rookie season

So, was it an anomaly? If you listen to what Bueckers said, then not really.

After the game, Paige explained how she approached the night offensively and why her mid-range jumper was such a weapon. While most of today’s game is built on layups and threes, Paige leaned on the mid-range to dominate. “Basketball has gone away from it—it’s mostly layups and threes,” she told ESPN. “Teams don’t know how to guard it, and it’s an advantage if you can score there.” Her ability to read the defense and “take what it gives you” was on full display, as eight of her 17 made shots came from that overlooked in-between area. That defense became the point of debate.

But, perhaps, it was a mix of both. Lately, the Sparks have had defensive struggles. The numbers speak for themselves: Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league, allowing 88.5 points per game with a defensive rating of 109.0. Opponents are shooting 45.8% against them and scoring 0.96 points per play. The Sparks’ head coach, Lynne Roberts, admitted after a recent loss, “We’ve got to do a better job defensively. Our staff knows that, the players know that.”

The Sparks’ inability to make adjustments was costly, and it’s been a theme all year. Opponents have consistently hunted mismatches — even Kelsey Plum has been targeted defensively in previous games — and without defensive answers, L.A. has been forced to rely heavily on outscoring teams. Since the All-Star break, they’ve gone 9-4, hitting triple digits five times and clearing 90+ in eight games, yet they’ve still allowed 92.8 points per game in those wins. For a scorer as versatile as Paige Bueckers, it was the perfect chance: elite shot-making meeting a struggling defense — and the result was one for the history books.

Paige Bueckers cooled off after historic 44-point night

Friday night was a rough one for Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. After her historic 44-point explosion just two nights earlier, the rookie went cold in a 95-60 blowout loss to the Seattle Storm at home. Bueckers scored eight of Dallas’ first 12 points but finished with only 11 points (all in the first half), two rebounds and one steal before being pulled at the end of the third quarter. The Wings dropped to 9-28 on the season and have now lost four straight games, struggling to recover after being eliminated from playoff contention by the Sparks on Wednesday.

Seattle, meanwhile, completely dominated on both ends. No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga outshone Bueckers in her own building, tying a career-high with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting off the bench. Erica Wheeler added 17 points, and Tiffany Mitchell chipped in 11, as the Storm’s reserves did most of the damage. Seattle improved to 19-18 and moved into seventh place in the WNBA standings, while Dallas couldn’t find an offensive rhythm after its 5-0 start. The Wings didn’t score until the 6:48 mark of the third quarter, and they were outscored 28-15 in the fourth as Seattle ran away with it.

This marked the worst loss of the season for Dallas, surpassing their previous 30-point defeat to the Phoenix Mercury on July 7. While Maddy Siegrist led the Wings with 12 points and five rebounds, nobody could spark the offense after the first quarter.  For Bueckers, coming off a WNBA rookie record 44-point night, this was a reality check in a game where the Wings “waved the white flag” early, pulling her late in the third as Seattle cruised to victory.