Wings' Paige Bueckers had to be 'put in timeout' during loss to Aces

Jeremy Beren

Wings' Paige Bueckers had to be 'put in timeout' during loss to Aces image

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings endured a tough home defeat on Sunday afternoon. Playing their third game in six days, the Wings opted to rest Paige Bueckers, and the rookie guard could only watch as Dallas suffered a 106-82 loss to the Las Vegas Aces at College Park Center.

Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said Dallas was in the midst of an "insane" stretch of games; indeed, the youthful Wings play again on Monday night against the New York Liberty. The franchise is prioritizing Bueckers' long-term health -- as, at 7-19, the Wings are unlikely to make the playoffs.

MORE: Wings' Paige Bueckers to a ref: 'Do you need my glasses?'

But even if Bueckers understands the franchise's point of view, that doesn't necessarily mean the All-Star guard likes it. Bueckers even had to be "put in timeout" by teammate Maddy Siegrist at one point on Sunday as she asked for a replay review from the Wings' bench.

The clip showing Siegrist, who has missed much of the season with a knee injury, playfully batting down Bueckers' right hand during live action was only one instance of many during Sunday's game -- as Siegrist herself admitted.

"This happened like 40 times during the game," Siegrist wrote on X following the game.

Perhaps fortunately for Siegrist, Bueckers is set to return to the court Monday night for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the defending champion Liberty.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.