mckinneyweekly.news chose Awak Kuier for Defensive Player of the Night, and Celina's brief stays on the blocks that opened the file.
The Associated Press said five of Kuier's seven rejections came before halftime and tied the career high she set as a 20-year-old rookie in 2021. She added two more after the break. ESPN's box score lists seven blocks in 36 minutes with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and zero turnovers on 4-for-8 shooting and 2-for-6 from three.
Dallas as a team blocked eight shots; she had seven of them. CBS Sports matches those counting numbers.
Who she turned away
The AP named the players on the other end of those blocks: Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Makayla Timpson. Mitchell still scored 37, including 21 before halftime, the AP reported. Boston went 5-for-11 for 14 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes on ESPN's board; Timpson had 11 and 12; Clark shot 4-for-15.
Offense attached to the defense
Kuier's night was not empty on the other end. ESPN's play-by-play has finishes at the rim on Bueckers assists plus a 23-footer and a 27-footer. Four assists and zero turnovers in 36 minutes - longest among the Wings - keep the Defensive Player case from reading like gambling for swats.
Dallas won 91-85. ESPN listed the Wings at 21-16 and Indiana at 24-13. The AP said Indiana's five-game streak ended and that the Fever missed a first chance at a franchise victory record, remaining at last year's total of 24.