Paige Bueckers gives insight into competitive relationship with Kelsey Plum after heated battle with LA Sparks star

Paige Bueckers and Kelsey Plum put on a show in Dallas on Friday. Although Plum's LA Sparks eventually ended up as winners against the Wings, 97-96, the game was a thriller.

Bueckers dropped 29 points, four rebounds and five assists on 57.1% shooting for Dallas. Meanwhile, Plum racked up 28 points, three rebounds and five assists in the game, ultimately leading the Sparks to a victory at the College Park Center.

But much of the conversation about the matchup focused on the heated battle between Plum and Bueckers on the court. During the game, the Wings' rookie taunted the WNBA veteran after scoring over her in the Sparks' paint. Plum initially felt it was an offensive foul, but the officials decided otherwise.

Despite the on-court moment, according to Dallas Morning News beat reporter Myah Taylor, Bueckers is said to have a good relationship off the court with Plum. This detail was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) after the game by Taylor. She wrote:

"'We're actually pretty good friends,' Bueckers said of Plum. Said it fuels their competition."

Myah Taylor

@t_myah

"We're actually pretty good friends," Paige Bueckers said of Kelsey Plum. Said it fuels their competition.

Bueckers is averaging 18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in her rookie season.

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Wings HC on Paige Bueckers' performance and his expectations of her

After the Wings lost by a point on Friday, coach Chris Koclanes heaped high praise on Paige Bueckers. During the postgame presser, Koclanes said:

"Yeah, absolutely right. She's got to find that balance. But everyone knows she's capable of doing what she did tonight. And so, again, I was just proud that we talked about it.

"She just played downhill, like she got into the paint and was just dominating the paint. So just extremely proud of her and just to be able to, like you know, what she's doing right now is just insane."

Bueckers has recorded double-digit points in her last five games for the Wings, with three of them being 20+ points. She is also among the frontrunners for the ROTY this season, so it will be interesting to see how her rookie year eventually pans out.