Is it too late for the Dallas Wings? Or can their impossible position still be salvaged? After drafting Paige Bueckers, fans of the franchise had high hopes for the 2025 season. However, things haven’t really gone their way so far. Even though Bueckers has been everything Dallas fans dreamed of and more, putting up great averages of 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, she hasn’t been enough to turn their luck around this year.
Coming off a seven-game losing streak, the Wings are hosting the Golden State Valkyries for their thirteenth game of the season thus far. There’s a lot at stake for both teams, with Dallas hunting a much-needed win, and the new expansion team working on cementing their legacy. However, rumors have it that Arike Ogunbowale, one of their key players, might not be taking the court tonight. Let’s find out more about the injury report and starting lineups for this epic matchup!
Is Arike Ogunbowale playing against the Golden State Valkyries? Injury report and starting lineups
Once again, Dallas has found themselves in a spot of bother, as they lose 4 vital players before their thirteenth game of the season. Luckily, their star veteran Arike Ogunbowale is not one of them! The five-foot-eight guard scared the living daylights out of every Wings fan after missing Sunday’s practice due to illness, but we’ve received confirmation that she is not part of the injury list for tonight.
However, that doesn’t mean that the Wings are out of trouble just yet. Their rotation has been severely impacted due to injuries and the Eurobasket. Dallas’ frontcourt has taken the largest hit with Tyasha Harris, Maddy Siegrist, Teaira McCowan, and Luisa Geiselsoder ruled out for the next few weeks. Harris suffered a major injury to her left knee, effectively ending her season, while Siegrist was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture and is undergoing treatment as of now. McCowan and Geiselsoder are away for national duty, and are expected back in about two weeks.
Golden State, on the other hand, is quite healthy! The only person on their injury report is Tiffany Hayes, who suffered a nose injury and is out for one game. This comes as a decent blow to the Valks as Hayes was averaging a solid 10 points and 4 rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game!
So now that we know who’s missing the game, here are the predicted starters for both teams:
Dallas Wings:
-Arike Ogunbowale
-Paige Bueckers
-DiJonai Carrington
-Myisha Hines-Allen
-NaLyssa Smith
Golden State Valkyries:
-Veronica Burton
-Kayla Thornton
-Carla Leite
-Stephanie Talbot
-Temi Fagbenle
Match prediction: Golden State Valkyries vs Dallas Wings
Now that we know for sure that Arike Ogunbowale is playing, the Dallas Wings truly have a shot at winning this game. According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, the Wings have a 68.2% chance at winning the game, while the Valks stand at a meagre 31.8%. Even though the newest WNBA team has a much better record, finding a place in the middle of the table with a 5-5 record, there’s no doubting the sheer talent that the Wings possess.
The Bueckers-Ogunbowale backcourt pairing is quite dangerous, with the rookie averaging over 17 points a game, and Arike is close by, putting up around 16 points per night. However, their offensive capabilities aren’t flawless, as the Wings average over 13 turnovers per game, squashing any momentum the pairing might build.
Furthermore, with the acquisition of Li Yueru from the Seattle Storm, the Wings have taken quite a major step in rebuilding their frontcourt and stacking some much-needed depth. Although the six-foot-seven forward’s role over at Seattle wasn’t huge, her size and rebounding capabilities will definitely assist the Wings in creating more chances inside the paint. She’s excited to work with Bueckers. “I’m very excited. I hope we can do something on the court and I hope we can build something together.”
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase feels confident. “I think our players understand, when we execute we talk about 80 possessions. When we execute and we can maintain the 80 possessions of the game plan, then we’re pretty dangerous.”
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