RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Alanna Smith went down hard in the opening quarter of Dallas’ game against Connecticut on Sunday, colliding with Paige Bueckers and heading straight down the tunnel while play continued around her.
Wings reporter Myah Taylor was courtside for the moment and posted the update as it unfolded.
“ Alanna Smith and Paige Bueckers collided on the court ,” Taylor wrote. “ Bueckers is still in the game, but Smith walked off the court. ”
Alanna Smith and Paige Bueckers collided on the court. Bueckers is still in the game, but Smith walked off the court.
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) August 31, 2026
Smith’s exit sparked real worry given how quietly she had fought her way back into form this season. The update that followed eased those nerves. Taylor later reported that Smith returned to the bench before halftime and checked back into the game, seemingly clear of any lasting damage.
She finished the night with 17 minutes played, seven points and two rebounds, while also locking down Connecticut forward Diamond Miller, who shot just 2 of 14 from the field and missed all six of her three-point attempts. Bueckers stayed unaffected by the collision, closing with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting, six assists and two rebounds as Dallas ran away with a 97-71 win. On August 20, she also received a $500 fine against Caitlin Clark .
This is not the first scare Bueckers has been part of this season. On July 20 against the Los Angeles Sparks, she collided with Nneka Ogwumike late in the fourth quarter and hit her head on the floor, forcing her out of that game as well. Sunday’s collision looked far less severe by comparison, but it was still enough to freeze a Wings bench that has plenty riding on health right now.
Dallas improved to 24-16 with the win, its fourth straight, and now sits tied for the league’s eighth seed heading into the FIBA World Cup break. The Wings clinched a playoff spot earlier in the week, their first postseason appearance in three seasons, which makes every roster hiccup carry a little more weight than it would in a lost season.
Alanna Smith’s Turnaround Made Sunday’s Scare Feel Bigger
Smith’s collision landed in the middle of one of the more encouraging stretches of her year. She joined Dallas in free agency after a breakout 2025 season with the Minnesota Lynx that earned her a share of Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors alongside A’ja Wilson, but her first months in a Wings uniform were rough. She lost her starting spot just seven games in in June.
The IX Sports reporter Drake Keeler summed up how bad that stretch got.
“ By the end of June, she had yet to post a double-digit scoring game, had more turnovers than assists, and recorded six blocks in 15 games ,” Keeler wrote in an August 19 report. Through her first 21 games, Smith was averaging just 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds on 40.5% shooting.
August flipped the script entirely. Over 11 games this month, Smith has averaged 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals while shooting 51.2% from the field and 32.3% from three, numbers that earned her back the starting job for every game this month. Speaking to reporters on August 12, she made clear she wasn’t done climbing.
“ I’d love to play better than what I’m playing right now ,” she said. “ So hopefully it’s onwards and upwards for not only myself, but the entire team too. ”
Dallas now heads into the FIBA World Cup break with its playoff spot locked and Smith trending in the right direction, not away from it. She’ll suit up for Australia during the layoff before the Wings return to host the Los Angeles Sparks on September 17. A clean bill of health when that game tips off will matter far more than Sunday’s scare ever will.
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