Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings crossed swords against the LA Sparks at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday. Bueckers led the injury-hit Dallas squad and was joined in the starting lineup by Maddy Siegrist, Haley Jones, Grace Berger and Luisa Geiselsoder.Bueckers delivered one of the most memorable performances of the 2025 WNBA season and fell six points shy of notching a 50-point game. The standout rookie dropped 16 points in the first half and 28 in the second half but despite her electrifying display, the Wings suffered an agonizing 81-80 loss.Paige Bueckers finished with 44 points on 17 of 21 shooting, including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. She also recorded four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 36 minutes.Paige Bueckers through four quarter vs. LA SparksThe leading Rookie of the Year candidate caught fire early, knocking down tough shots to give the Wings an 11-3 advantage. The No. 1 pick made a strong impact on both ends of the floor, scoring at all three levels. She tallied eight points on four shots in the opening period, but it wasn’t enough for Dallas to maintain their lead.Bueckers stayed hot in the second quarter and kept the game within reach for the Wings. The star rookie attempted four more shots, knocking down three of them, while the rest of the squad struggled to provide ample support to their point guard.At halftime, Paige Bueckers had 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 1 of 1 from beyond the arc. She also recorded two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.Bueckers was unstoppable in the third quarter as she dazzled with a jaw-dropping display. The rookie knocked down tough shot after tough shot and couldn’t seem to miss from anywhere on the court. She scored 15 points in the penultimate period on a flawless 6 of 6 shooting from the field.The third quarter was all about Paige Bueckers tormenting the Sparks and single-handedly helping the Wings take a 66-59 lead. The Dallas rookie went berserk, not missing a single one of her six shot attempts in the penultimate period.The 6-foot guard continued to torment the Sparks as she stayed unconscious shooting the basketball. She poured in 13 points in the final period, but her mercurial effort was undone by a Kelsey Plum game-winner at the buzzer.