Atlanta Tops Dallas, 86-69
WNBA Dallas Wings

Atlanta Tops Dallas, 86-69

Published on May 22, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release


Atlanta, GA - The Dallas Wings fell at the Atlanta Dream 86-69 Friday night at Gateway Center. The Wings erased a 16-point deficit to take an early fourth-quarter lead but a 19-1 Dream run in the final frame put the game in favor of the home squad. Awak Kuier led Dallas with a career-high 16 points while Jessica Shepard had a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds just two nights after notching a triple-double. Dallas falls to 3-3 on the year while Atlanta improves to 3-1.

Kuier went a perfect 6-6 from the field becoming just the seventh player in Wings history to shoot 100-percent from the field while taking at least six attempts and the first to do so taking multiple three-point attempts (2-2).

Odyssey Sims joined Kuier and Shepard in double figures with 14 points off 5-6 shooting, adding five assists. Paige Bueckers had a team-high seven assists as the Wings tallied 21 dimes. Dallas has recorded 20+ assists in four straight games and in five of its first six contests of the year. Azzi Fudd had seven points and a career-high three blocks, as the Wings tallied a season-high eight blocks as a team.

The Wings were limited to a season-low .378 shooting from the field and taking a season-low 12 attempts from the free-throw line (6-12) - the second fewest by any team in the WNBA this season. Atlanta shot .548 from the field, including 40% from three, while making 12-13 attempts from the charity stripe. Rhyne Howard led the Dream with a game-high 25 points.

The Dallas Wings wrap up their three-game road swing on Sunday when they visit the New York Liberty. Tipoff at Barclays Center is set for 2:30 p.m. CT with the game airing nationally on NBC.

Game Leaders

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Dallas

Kuier (16)

Shepard (11)

Bueckers (7)

Atlanta

Howard (25)

Reese (9)

Howard (8)

First Quarter: Dallas 9, Atlanta 19 Dallas featured a starting lineup of Odyssey Sims, Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith for the sixth consecutive game. Atlanta opened the game on a 10-0 run as Dallas struggled to find success on offense, shooting 0-of-8 from the field and committing four turnovers before a Wings timeout at 4:42. Azzi Fudd scored the first Wings basket of the night with a 3-pointer at 3:46, cutting the Dream lead to seven, 10-3.

Dallas drained their final three shots of the quarter, with the bench adding all nine points in the opening stanza. The Wings finished the quarter 4-of-20 from the field but forced five Dream turnovers to keep within 10 points. Fudd led all Dallas scorers with five points in the quarter.

Second Quarter: Dallas 22, Atlanta 25 Sims and Aziaha James turned three Dream turnovers in the first 63 seconds into seven points, sparking an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 19-17, and forcing an Atlanta timeout with 8:53 remaining. Rhyne Howard and the Dream responded with a 15-5 run to extend their lead to 13, 38-25, with 3:38 to go before halftime.

With the bucket at 5:42 Bueckers surpassed 800 career points.

The Wings found success in the second stanza, shooting 45% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. The Dallas bench outpaced the Dream 15-8 in the first half, with Maddy Siegrist and Fudd combining for 10 points. Dallas controlled the offensive glass, doubling the Dream's total, 8-4. The Wings dished out 10 assists on their 13 makes, and increased their pace to outscore Atlanta 7-2 in the fastbreak. They also blocked five Atlanta shots in the second frame.

Dallas was unable to slow down the Dream's offense in the opening half as they shot 50% from the field and 42.9% from deep to take a 44-31 lead into the break.

Third Quarter: Dallas 27, Atlanta 19 The Wings' increased pace and defensive pressure led to an 11-4 run from 8:49 to 6:34 that saw the deficit shrink to six points, 48-42. Awak Kuier made her presence felt in the third stanza, notching seven straight points and a block to keep the Wings within four points with 2:36 remaining.

Kuier finished the quarter with 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including two triples. Dallas shot a blistering 57.9% in the third stanza, knocking down four from beyond the arc and dishing out 10 assists on 11 made shots. The Wings forced five turnovers, and the bench increased their scoring advantage to 33-11 for the game.

Fourth Quarter: Dallas 11, Atlanta 23 Dallas took their first lead of the game, 64-63, thanks to a 6-0 run to kick off the final frame after forcing three turnovers and an Atlanta timeout with 7:35 remaining. However, the Dream responded with a 19-1 run from 7:21 to 1:07 to retake the lead 82-65. Atlanta proceeded to hit 11-of-14 shots in the final frame, outscoring the Wings by 12 and securing the 86-69 victory.

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