All it took was one move from Paige Bueckers, and the entire arena lost its mind. In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of this week, the Dallas Wings locked horns with the Atlanta Dream in what was their home opener. While fans were already expecting another big night from the reigning Rookie of the Year after her strong start to the season, it was one particular sequence involving Jordin Canada that had everyone talking.

During the third quarter of the game, the Wings had possession of the ball when the clock had less than 3 minutes left, and Atlanta was narrowly leading (54-53). That’s when Bueckers received the ball at the top of the floor, and she quickly ran towards the rim. Defending her on the play was Dream guard Canada, who rushed beside her to block her lane. However, with her versatile offensive skill set, Bueckers abruptly stopped, causing the veteran guard to completely lose her footing and fall to the court. That is what we call ‘The Ankle-Breaker.’

The clip of this moment started circulating online, but Canada herself had no problem giving Paige Bueckers credit afterward.

Taking to Threads after the game, the Dream guard reacted to the viral crossover and wrote, “Aye Paige got me BAD lmao,” Canada wrote. “But you know what, everyone has their day, had to give her her props!”

However, this one moment doesn’t give the full picture of how Canada’s night went, because she was one of the best scorers on her team. The 5-foot-6 star finished the game with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Still, it was the interaction that immediately caught fans’ attention because of how casually Canada embraced the moment. Instead of turning defensive about ending up on a highlight reel, she leaned into it and acknowledged just how clean the move actually was.

But while Bueckers gave the home crowd one of the biggest highlights of the night, the ending itself did not go the Wings’ way as Dallas struggled to close things out late.

Dream Outlast Paige Bueckers and the Wings in Chaotic Home Opener

For three quarters, the Wings looked fully capable of protecting their franchise’s name on their home court and moving to 2-0 on the season.

Bueckers once again looked comfortable running the offense and creating scoring opportunities both for herself and her teammates. Even beyond the viral ankle-breaker moment, she continued showing why so many people already view her as one of the future faces of the league. Her pace, shot creation, and ability to control momentum repeatedly gave Dallas life throughout the matchup as she went on to score 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

But the game completely shifted during the final stretch of the fourth quarter.

With just over five minutes remaining, Dallas only trailed by three points and still looked firmly within striking distance. Then suddenly, their offense froze. The Wings struggled to generate clean looks, possessions became rushed, and Atlanta slowly started taking control on both ends of the floor.

That cold stretch ultimately decided the game. Dallas failed to score again until the clock reached around the 3:36 mark, and by then, the Dream already stretched their lead to eight points. While the Wings tried mounting one final push late, the damage was already done.

But two things that are worth noting are:

• Both teams struggled from behind the arc, as Dallas shot just 15% while Atlanta shot 27%.
• Azzi Fudd was ruled out of the game due to her knee.

So now, as the Wings prepare to take on the Minnesota Lynx next on May 14th, their 77-72 loss to the Dream exposed a few things Dallas will need to clean up moving forward.

The Wings relied heavily on difficult shot-making, and once the rhythm of their offense was lost, they struggled to settle themselves down. That’s something young teams often go through early in the season, especially one still learning how to close tight games together.