The Dallas Wings ' momentum witnessed a sudden drop on Monday night as the Phoenix Mercury put up a frantic, fourth-quarter rally to secure an 87-86 victory, snapping the Wings' six-game winning streak.
After the game, the fans could not help but express concern that Paige Bueckers ' record-setting effort went in vain as her team suffered an embarrassing collapse.
Dallas led 74-63 early in the final frame, seemingly poised to push their streak to seven wins and bolster their playoff positioning. However, the Wings' offense and defensive rotations fractured, and Phoenix's Kahleah Copper took over, pouring in 16 of her 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Copper capped off the stunning comeback with a backdoor cut along the baseline, taking a feed from Alyssa Thomas to score the go-ahead layup with 2.4 seconds remaining, clipping the Wings' momentum.
Dallas' inability to close out the win overshadowed a historic night for Bueckers, who was sensational, finishing with 30 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Her production meant Bueckers surpassed the franchise's single-season scoring record , pushing her total to 853 points with one regular-season game remaining.
Fans were quick to slam the Wings' performance in the closing stretch, as a 16-27 Mercury team overcame an 11-point deficit to clinch an unlikely win.
"She is giving 100% every time, and you guys are not serious at all, either build a proper team or just free her," one user posted .
"Y'all just let her down today, btw," another chimed in .
"Man (expletive) everyone on this team except Azzi Paige and Awak," another fan noted .
"[Expletive] does Jessica Shepard think she is? Everytime she gets the rebound she has to dribble all the way to the rim. Rebound the ball and get it to one of the best offensive weapons in the league in Paige. Absolutely embarrassing," one WNBA observer exclaimed .
"AND YALL LOST ON THIS NIGHT??? OH NOW IM SO PISSED," another Wings' fan commented .
The loss halts a crucial late-season surge for Dallas (26-17), marking their first defeat since August 17. The Wings were previously tied with both the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics into sixth place in the WNBA standings.
The defeat leaves Dallas in a tough spot, with Liberty holding the same 26-17 record, heightening the stakes for the Wings' regular-season finale against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
