The city of Dallas lost Luka Dončić to Los Angeles in February. A new hoops phenom is already burning defenses in the Metroplex. Dallas Wings forward Paige Bueckers scored 44 points in her 29th professional game Wednesday night in an 81-80 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Bueckers made 17 of 21 shots and all four of her three-point attempts in her historic scoring night, during which she tied a record nearly as old as the WNBA itself. Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets scored 44 points in a 1997 game, the same year the WNBA played its inaugural season (making all WNBA players de-facto rookies). Given the considerable talent and veteran competition present in the league now, Bueckers’ performance Thursday can rightfully be considered the best rookie effort in league history.
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