After Fever guard Caitlin Clark missed the June 27 matchup between the Wings and Fever, which drew more than 20,000 fans to the American Airlines Center, the two teams will play there again next month.
The Dallas Wings dropped a 94-86 decision to the Indiana Fever in front of 20,409 fans at American Airlines Center on June 27, but earlier that day, the unfortunate news that Fever guard Caitlin Clark would not suit up for the game cast a pall on the proceedings.
At least it did until the Wings’ furious second-half comeback attempt hit full gear, when both Wings fans and Fever sufferers went roar for roar as the teams traded big shots down the stretch.
With Clark working her way back to health after sustaining a groin injury in the Fever’s 94-86 win at the Seattle Storm, the Wings announced Monday that the two teams would run it back at the AAC on Aug. 1 in Indiana’s final swing through Dallas this season.
The game was originally scheduled to be played on the Wings’ temporary home court at UT Arlington’s College Park Center, which seats just 7,000.
Clark missed her sixth straight game on Tuesday when the Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx, 74-59, to claim the 2025 WNBA Commissioners Cup in-season tournament title. Fever coach Stephanie White told the Indy Star before Clark missed the team’s previous game, an 89-87 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, that “[Clark is] not a fan of minute restrictions. If there is going to be a minutes restriction, maybe we’ll hold her another game. I prioritize her long-term health and wellness and making sure that when she comes back, she’s 100%.”
That makes it sound like Clark’s return to the court is imminent, and barring any setbacks, would be available for the Fever’s second visit of the year to the AAC. Tickets for Wings-Fever, Round 2 (actually Round 3, more on that below) will go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday at 10 a.m. CST.
Of course we have to give you one more angle oh myyyy! pic.twitter.com/kr2eVaqWds
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) June 28, 2025
Clark has missed 10 games this season for the Fever (9-9) due to both the groin injury and a previous quad strain. In her absence, the Legend of Paige Bueckers has done nothing but grow. Bueckers led the Wings (6-13) with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and found teammates for six assists in Round 1 as part of a run in which the rookie has scored 20 or more points in seven of her last 10 games. She wowed the sellout crowd at AAC with a halftime buzzer-beater from 35 feet away and hit a pretty little crossover step-back 3-pointer in Lexie Hull’s face in the fourth to bring Dallas to within two points, down just 79-77, with 6:20 left in the game. Bueckers became the first player in league history to record a game with 25 or more points, five or more assists, two or more steals, two or more blocks and zero turnovers with that effort.
The two teams will meet once before the Malice in Dallas, on Sunday in Indianapolis. That game will be televised on ABC and on ESPN+. The Wings’ and Fever’s first matchup became just the eighth regular-season game in WNBA history to be played in front of 20,000 or more fans (10th overall, including postseason games). The Wings became just the fourth team in WNBA history to host a game drawing more than 20,000 fans, joining the Washington Mystics, Las Vegas Aces and Detroit Shock.
Bueckers spent some time with Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving, whom she called “my favorite player,” after the 94-86 loss on June 27. The game drew a bevy of notable fans to the game, also including Mavs’ first overall draft pick Cooper Flagg, Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons.
The Wings-Fever matchup has the potential to become the WNBA’s hottest ticket for years to come due to Clark and Bueckers’ combined budding star power. Clark is averaging 18.2 points per game this year, which would put her in a tie for 10th in the league if she qualified based on the number of games played. Bueckers sits just above her in ninth, averaging 18.7 points per game as of Monday.
Bueckers and Clark met twice in college, both times in the NCAA Tournament. Bueckers’ UConn Huskies won the first matchup, in the 2021 Sweet Sixteen, 92-72. Bueckers tallied 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win, while Clark scored 21 in the loss. Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes beat UConn, 71-69, in the 2024 Final Four behind Clark’s 21, nine and seven, while Bueckers scored 17 in the loss.