Paige Bueckers and Wings face Lynx test in key WNBA matchup
DIRECT ANSWER: The Dallas Wings host the 14-4 Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, June 28, in a Western Conference matchup that hinges on whether Paige Bueckers and Dallas can slow one of the WNBA's top offenses. Minnesota is favored despite Napheesa Collier's absence, and Dallas must tighten a defense that has surrendered 90 and 100 points to the Lynx this season.
Paige Bueckers enters the game after scoring 25 points and grabbing six rebounds in Thursday's 99-84 road loss to the Las Vegas Aces, according to Yahoo Sports. The Wings are 11-7 and positioned as a playoff contender, but their defense remains the glaring weakness in a nationally televised test at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Key Takeaways
- Minnesota (14-4) visits Dallas (11-7) at 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, with the Lynx listed as -3.5 road favorites per Sports Illustrated.
- Paige Bueckers runs point for Dallas, but the Wings allow nearly 86 points per game and gave up 90 and 100 to Minnesota in two prior 2026 meetings.
- Napheesa Collier, Odyssey Sims and Alanna Smith are out; Olivia Miles (18.6 PPG) leads a deep Lynx attack without Collier.
- Minnesota is 2-0 against Dallas this season, including a 24-point win, and 8-1 on the road in 2026.
- Analysts lean Lynx moneyline (-175), citing Minnesota's No. 1 defensive and net ratings against a Dallas team ranked seventh in net rating.
Why is Dallas' defense under the spotlight against Minnesota?
OutKick's David Troy frames Sunday as a stress test for a Wings unit that keeps leaking points. Teams are averaging almost 86 points per game against Dallas, and in their last five outings the Wings allowed 99, 110, 92, 91 and 66 points.
That trend matters because Minnesota already hung 90 and 100 on Dallas in two games this season. The Lynx rank No. 1 in defensive rating and net rating and No. 3 in offensive rating, while Dallas has slipped to seventh in net rating, per Sports Illustrated.
With Bueckers orchestrating the offense and Azzi Fudd emerging as a lethal shooter, Dallas can score. The question is whether it can get stops against Olivia Miles and Minnesota's balanced roster. For more offbeat sports angles, see our Bizarre World coverage.
Who is ruled out on the final Lynx-Wings injury report?
Both teams arrive short-handed. Yahoo Sports reports Minnesota ruled out Napheesa Collier as she continues recovering from left ankle surgery, along with Dorka Juhasz (right mid-foot sprain) and Emma Cechova (torn ACL, out for the season).
Dallas will miss guard Odyssey Sims for a ninth straight game with a left ankle sprain and forward Alanna Smith for a third consecutive contest in concussion protocol. Collier still has not resumed on-court activities and may miss the entire season, Fox News notes, yet the Lynx have not missed a beat at 14-4.
How have the Lynx thrived without Napheesa Collier?
Minnesota enters after a 14-4 start through 18 games despite Collier's absence. Rookie sensation Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick, is averaging 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists and looks like a Rookie of the Year frontrunner, according to OutKick.
The Lynx beat Washington on Wednesday behind 21 points from Natasha Howard and 21 from Miles. Minnesota is 2-0 against Dallas this season, has won eight of nine road games and is 14-4 against the spread, including an 8-1 road ATS mark.
What do the odds say about Sunday's Lynx-Wings game?
Sports Illustrated lists the Lynx as -3.5 (-108) favorites with a total of 177.5 at DraftKings. The moneyline sits at Lynx -175 and Wings +145. SI's pick is Minnesota on the moneyline, arguing Dallas is too short a home underdog given the head-to-head history.
Dallas is 6-2 at home versus 5-5 on the road, and Bueckers, Fudd and company hold the No. 6 spot in the standings with more wins than all of 2025. Still, until the Wings prove they can contain Minnesota's attack, the Lynx remain the side the market trusts on Sunday afternoon.