DALLAS — The Dallas Wings will have another chance to halt their recent slide tonight when they host the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center, just six days after the teams met in Indianapolis.
The matchup comes at a critical point for Dallas, as they have dropped two straight games and seven of their last 10. The Wings enter at 20-16 and are still fighting to solidify their playoff spot.
Dallas Wings Look To Adjust In Indiana Fever Rematch
Indiana, meanwhile, has gone in the opposite direction. They enter Thursday with a 24-12 record and one of the league’s top offenses. The Fever have also won five consecutive games, including a 98-87 victory over Dallas on Aug. 14.
The quick turnaround for the rematch gives the Wings an opportunity to immediately apply what they learned from their first meeting.
“It definitely helps because the stuff is still fresh in your mind,” Wings forward Maddy Siegrist said. “You have a good chance to go give them your all tonight.”
Dallas enters the rematch after Monday’s 78-70 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. The Wings trailed by as many as 20 before outscoring Golden State 24-16 in the fourth quarter. Paige Bueckers scored 19 of her team-high 21 points in the second half, while Arike Ogunbowale added 17. The Fever have won five straight and most recently beat the Toronto Tempo 101-95 on Tuesday. Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points in the road win.
Veteran guard Alysha Clark said Dallas’ focus will be on tightening up defensively after Indiana took advantage of backdoor cuts and hustle plays in the previous matchup.
“We gave up some back doors and just, you know, the hustle plays, the 50-50 balls,” Clark said. “Just having more effort, having a little more fight in those areas, and I think just coming out with a better start tonight (are the main adjustments).”
Dallas Wings Adjust To Life Without Azzi Fudd
The Wings will also be navigating a major change to their rotation.
Dallas announced Wednesday that rookie guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the season and undergo an arthroscopic procedure on her right knee. Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 39.7% from three in 30 games.
Dallas went 19-11 in the 30 games Fudd played this season and is 1-5 without her. The on-off numbers show an even wider difference. The Wings posted a 112.4 offensive rating and 105.5 defensive rating during Fudd’s 950 minutes on the floor, giving Dallas a plus-6.9 net rating. With Fudd off the court, the offensive rating dropped to 102.5 while the defensive rating rose to 108.7, a minus-6.2 net rating.
Fudd’s absence is particularly significant for a Dallas team that has already dealt with several injuries throughout the season. Clark said Fudd’s value extended beyond her scoring, pointing to the gravity she created as a shooter and the space she opened for teammates.
“She’s a generational type of shooter, and so just the gravity that she attracts obviously helped with spacing, and her ability to get downhill and move off the ball,” Clark said. “I mean, we still have, you know, some really good shooters, but they have different assets.”
Siegrist echoed that sentiment, saying Fudd cannot simply be replaced by one player.
“No one’s going to be able to do what she does out there,” Siegrist said. “As a collective, it’s going to take a little bit more from everybody.”
With Fudd unavailable and the Fever playing some of their best basketball of the season, Dallas will have to find answers quickly. For the Wings, tonight is yet another opportunity to prove they can compete with one of the league’s top teams and, more importantly, to regain momentum with the playoffs approaching.
