Paige Bueckers scored a historic 44 points this week, tying the WNBA rookie record. Despite this, Friday’s game did not meet critics’ and fans’ expectations. The Wings lost in a close 95-60 defeat, ending their playoff hopes.
Bueckers managed only 11 points. But the most remarkable events happened off the court. Bueckers’ fans defended her and accused the team’s local broadcasters of undermining her achievements.
A dispute that could continue
According to Essentiallysports, a fan on X criticized the Wings’ local broadcasters. He said they disrespected Bueckers’ historic performance. Another follower wrote: “Did that announcer just discredit Paige’s 44-point game?” A user responded: “Yes. Instead of highlighting her, Dallas HOME broadcasters called her 44-point performance an ‘anomaly’ because the Sparks played poor defense.”
When she scored 44 points against the Sparks, Paige Bueckers became the first player since 1968 to score 40+ points. She achieved this both in the NCAA Tournament and now in the WNBA. She also broke Candace Parker’s rookie scoring record from 2008.
Yep. Instead of glazing her, the Dallas HOME announcers said her 44 point game was an “anomaly” because the Sparks played bad defense 😑 https://t.co/t8rC9HPbuY
— CFP (@sportsfan6718) August 23, 2025
After that great achievement, Bueckers explained to ESPN how she did it: “Basketball has moved away from that; it’s mostly layups and threes… Teams don’t know how to defend it, and it’s an advantage if you can score there.” That night, eight of her 17 made shots came from midrange, which she considers overlooked.
Perhaps the Wings star took full advantage of the Sparks’ defensive weaknesses, which is why Dallas broadcasters called her performance an “anomaly.” However, for her supporters, the milestone reflects her skills beyond the Sparks’ situation.
Without a doubt, this is a debate likely to continue among WNBA analysts and critics. In fact, some believe Friday’s game was a perfect opportunity for Bueckers to shine, even though she scored only 11 points against the Seattle Storm.
