Stephanie White Shares Honest Verdict on Paige Bueckers Following Fever Win
Stephanie White shared her honest assessment of Paige Bueckers after the Indiana Fever's win, explaining how the team made the Dallas Wings star uncomfortable.
Video Transcript
Following the Indiana Fever's 98 to 87 victory over the Dallas Wings, head coach Stephanie White praised Kelsey Mitchell for her defensive effort against Paige Bueckers.
Indiana improved to 22 and 12 with the win, maintaining fourth place overall in the WNBA standings and second in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
However, the victory was far from easy.
Bueckers gave Indiana's defense plenty of problems throughout the night, finishing with 29 points despite the Fever's efforts to limit her impact.
After the game, White explained how Indiana attempted to make the rookie star uncomfortable.
"I thought Kelsey was doing a really good job on Paige, just making her uncomfortable," White said.
"Paige is a hell of a player, so she still gets 29, but I thought in the fourth quarter in particular, Kelsey did a really good job of making it difficult."
Mitchell's defensive assignment was especially important as she spent significant stretches guarding Bueckers on the perimeter.
Her ability to pressure the Dallas guard helped Indiana disrupt the Wings' offensive rhythm during key moments.
Mitchell also continued her remarkable scoring run.
She finished with 23 points, extending her WNBA record streak to 18 consecutive games with at least 20 points.
While Mitchell has received significant attention for her scoring, White emphasized that her defensive contributions were equally important in securing the victory.
For Indiana, the win provided another strong indication that the Fever can compete against high-level opponents on both ends of the floor.
With the postseason approaching, Mitchell's two-way play could become increasingly important as Indiana looks to secure a favorable playoff position.
