Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers face off again six days after neither could outscore the other
Their last scoring battle ended even, but Indiana won
C aitlin Clark scored 29 points. Paige Bueckers scored 29 points. For an entire night, two of the biggest names in the WNBA kept answering each other, and when their individual scoring battle was finally over, neither had managed to put one more point on the board than the other. There was only one difference that really mattered: Clark's Indiana Fever walked away with the 98-87 victory. Six days later, they get to do it all over again .
Clark and the Fever arrive in Dallas on Thursday at 24-12 and riding five consecutive victories, while Bueckers and the Wings are 20-16 and trying to stop a much more uncomfortable stretch after losing seven of their last 10. This is also the final regular-season meeting between the teams, giving Dallas one last opportunity to respond after what happened in Indianapolis less than a week ago.
Face to face again, who wins?
And those 29 points don't tell the whole story of their first duel. Clark scored 16 in the third quarter alone and finished with 10 assists, while Bueckers added six rebounds and six assists to her 29 points.
Every time one appeared ready to take control, the other seemed capable of answering. But Indiana had something Dallas couldn't match that night: more help around its star. Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points, giving Clark and Mitchell 52 between them and helping turn an individual draw into a Fever victory.
That difference could become even more important Thursday because Bueckers will again be without Azzi Fudd. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft will miss the remainder of her rookie season and undergo arthroscopic surgery on her right knee after persistent soreness.
Fudd was averaging 13.1 points and had become one of Dallas' most dangerous perimeter weapons, leading all rookies in made three-pointers. The Wings are just 1-4 since she was sidelined, leaving even more responsibility on Bueckers as Dallas fights to hold onto a playoff position.
Indiana has the opposite feeling right now. Clark is creating, Mitchell keeps scoring and the Fever are winning. Mitchell enters the night averaging 24.3 points per game, while Clark is producing 8.3 assists, and together they give Indiana two different problems for a defense to solve: concentrate too much on Clark and Mitchell can punish you; focus on stopping Mitchell and Clark can begin finding everyone else.
And then there is Sophie Cunningham. She may not carry the same scoring expectations as Clark, Bueckers or Mitchell , but few players arrive in Dallas surrounded by as much attention.
Cunningham has become one of the most talked-about personalities in the league, and that adds another unpredictable element to a game already filled with them. Maybe Mitchell takes over.
Maybe Bueckers responds without Fudd. Maybe Cunningham produces the moment everyone talks about afterward. Or perhaps Clark and Bueckers simply pick up where they left off six days ago.
