Wings @ Sun preview: Is Jacy Sheldon our new stopper? Paige Bueckers is next

Apologies for keeping this short, have some family stuff to attend to and the games are coming fast and furious, but Mohegan Sun Arena will be full again Friday night (and I will be there) for the return of Paige Bueckers, Part II.

Bueckers missed a couple of weeks with a concussion and - should be needless to say - struggled without her.


Dallas doesn’t do much well defensively (which is odd for a team that has Dijonai Carrington), ranked 11th overall in defensive efficiency. The Wings don’t defend shooting well from the outside or the inside, don’t force turnovers, and foul a lot.

Paige Bueckers celebrates against the Sun last month (AP)


Even against the Sun the first time, Dallas didn’t defend well, giving up 87 points, but scoring 109 in a terrible Connecticut effort.


The Wings are coming off perhaps their most complete effort of the season in beating Golden State, but they have a few injuries and this is another game where the Sun - with some momentum from the Phoenix performance - should be competitive.


But “should be” has not always turned into “will” this season so far.


Can the Sun get back into the win column Friday night?:


 

DALLAS WINGS @ SUN


Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT


Place: Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.


Records: Dallas 2-11; Connecticut 2-10


TV: WNBA League Pass, ION


Line: Dallas -4.5 


Absences: Dallas - Luisa Geiselsoder (out, personal); Teaira McCowen (out, personal); Maddie Siegrist (out, knee); Ty Harris (out, season ending knee).

Connecticut- Leila Lacan (out, still in Europe, might not be back until July).

 

History between them: Dallas obviously won the first meeting, but the Sun swept the season series 3-0 last season, including putting up 109 points (the same they allowed last month) in a 109-91 win in Dallas on August 16, but the Sun barely beat the Wings 74-72 at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 31, 2024 as Arike Ogunbowale scored 21 points. Overall, the Sun led the series 41-30.


What to look for: Paige Bueckers, like Hailey Van Lith, Brittany Sykes, and a couple of others have dominated the Sun from the point guard spot, doing whatever they please, and in Bueckers’ case, getting whatever shot she wanted also. Rachid Meziane has made a bit of an adjustment the last couple of games by moving Jacy Sheldon on the point defensively, and it has worked more the most part, it worked well enough to anger Indiana into all those shenanigans on Tuesday, and sparked the comeback against Phoenix on Wednesday. Can that physical play bother Bueckers? Not like she hasn’t seen it before.


Dallas shot 27-for-46 from inside the arc in the first meeting, which is just not acceptable against a team that struggles to score in the paint at times. It’s up to Olivia Nelson-Ododa, a (hopefully) rested a bit Tina Charles, and Aneesah Morrow to clean that up in a big way.


To say Marina Mabrey is due would be an understatement. She has a little help now in Bria Hartley and Jaelyn Brown, so we’ll see if the Sun can get the offense going.


Key players:  Dallas: Kaila Charles- With all of Dallas’ injuries, Charles has had to step up and scored 21 in the Wings’ win over Golden State. It’s been a long, winding road for Charles who was drafted in the second round by Connecticut in 2020 and played in Mohegan Sun Arena for two years before getting released. She has bounced around since and is back with Dallas on a hardship contract (after getting let go by the Wings), so this is a chance to shine.


Connecticut: Jacy Sheldon - There doesn’t seem to be any bad blood with the Wings for Sheldon, who was traded from Dallas to Connecticut in the offseason, but Sheldon has seemingly made some enemies this week, so why not more? And Sheldon’s three-pointers Wednesday were hopefully part of a new confidence that can push her to be a leader.


Advanced stat:  12.9 - Turnover rate for Paige Bueckers, a remarkably low number for a rookie who handles the ball as much as she does.


Tactical spotlight: How are the Sun going to keep Bueckers from getting to her spots without fouling her? Blitzing Caitlin Clark actually worked to some extent, and will probably happen again Friday, forcing others to hit shots (hopefully not Arike Ogunbowale too much).


Inside the numbers: 54.5% - Jaelyn Brown’s three-point shooting percentage with the Sun, some 24 points above Mabrey’s 30.2%. Obviously, that’s opposing defenses, too, but still.


Prediction: 88-85 Connecticut



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