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2018 Dallas Wings season

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2018 Dallas Wings season
CoachFred Williams (fired)
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (interim)
ArenaCollege Park Center
Attendance4,752 per game
Results
Record15–19 (.441)
Place5th (Western)
Playoff finish8th seed, Lost in First Round to Phoenix 83–101
Team Leaders
PointsLiz Cambage – 23.0 ppg
ReboundsLiz Cambage – 9.7 rpg
AssistsSkylar Diggins-Smith – 6.2 apg
Media
TelevisionFox Sports Southwest[1]

The 2018 WNBA season will be the 21st season for the Dallas Wings franchise of the WNBA. This will be the franchise's 3rd season in Dallas. The season tips off on May 18.[2]

Dallas had an up and down start to the season, posting a 2–3 record in May followed by a 5–4 record in June. However all but one of these seven losses came to eventual playoff teams. The team posted an 8–5 record in July, including winning 7 of 8 games in the middle of the month. The three straight losses at the end of the month were the beginning of a nine-game losing streak.

In the midst of that losing streak, on August 12, 2018, the Wings fired their head coach Fred Williams. The team had a 14–17 record and was in the 8th and final playoff spot at the time of firing. Assistant Coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[3]

McWilliams-Franklin posted a 1–2 record in her three games in charge. This saw the Wings finish 1–7 in August. However, the one win was an important one. The win was against the Las Vegas Aces, the Wing's playoff rivals. The Wings secured the 8th seed in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs by one game over the Aces. The team lost to the 5th seeded Phoenix Mercury 83–101 in the first round of the playoffs to end their season.

Transactions

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WNBA draft

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Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
1 6 Azurá Stevens  United States Connecticut
2 18 Loryn Goodwin  United States Oklahoma State
3 30 Natalie Butler  United States George Mason

Trades and roster changes

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Date Details
February 1, 2018 Re-signed F Kayla Thornton[4]
February 2, 2018 Re-signed F Theresa Plaisance[5]
February 5, 2018 Signed C Liz Cambage[6]
February 28, 2018 Re-signed F Karima Christmas–Kelly[7]
June 3, 2018 Signed C Cayla George[8]
July 23, 2018 Traded F Aerial Powers to Washington Mystics in exchange for G Tayler Hill and 2019 WNBA draft second round pick and the rights to swap first round picks.[9]
August 19, 2018 Signed Maggie Lucas.[10]

Roster

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2018 Dallas Wings roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
C 8 Australia Cambage, Liz 6' 8" (2.03m) 216 lb (98kg) 08-18-1991 Australia 2
F 13 United States Christmas-Kelly, Karima Injured 6' 0" (1.83m) 180 lb (82kg) 09-11-1989 Duke 7
G 3 United States Davis, Kaela 6' 2" (1.88m) 170 lb (77kg) 03-15-1995 South Carolina 1
G 4 United States Diggins-Smith, Skylar 5' 9" (1.75m) 145 lb (66kg) 08-02-1990 Notre Dame 5
C 22 Australia George, Cayla 6' 4" (1.93m) 192 lb (87kg) 05-01-1989 Australia 2
G 15 United States Gray, Allisha 6' 0" (1.83m) 167 lb (76kg) 10-20-1992 South Carolina 1
G 2 United States Hill, Tayler 5' 9" (1.75m) 145 lb (66kg) 10-23-1990 Ohio State 5
F 25 United States Johnson, Glory 6' 3" (1.91m) 170 lb (77kg) 07-27-1990 Tennessee 5
G 33 United States Lucas, Maggie 5' 10" (1.78m) 158 lb (72kg) 11-29-1991 Penn State 3
F 55 United States Plaisance, Theresa 6' 5" (1.96m) 200 lb (91kg) 05-18-1992 LSU 4
G 10 Spain Romero, Leticia 5' 8" (1.73m) 143 lb (65kg) 05-28-1995 Spain R
F/C 30 United States Stevens, Azurá 6' 6" (1.98m) 180 lb (82kg) 02-01-1996 Connecticut R
F 6 United States Thornton, Kayla 6' 1" (1.85m) 190 lb (86kg) 10-20-1992 UTEP 2
Head coach
United States Taj McWilliams-Franklin (St. Edward's)
Assistant coaches
Australia Erin Phillips (Australia)
Athletic trainer
United States Allison Russell (Tulsa)
Strength and conditioning coach
England Danny Wardell (Huddersfield)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Game log

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Pre-season

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2018 pre-season game log
May: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 7 vs. New York W 76–69 Stevens (19) Stevens (9) Chong (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
N/A
1–0
2 May 8 @ Connecticut L 58–79 Tied (12) Cambage (9) Hamblin (2) Mohegan Sun Arena
3,695
1–1
3 May 13 Las Vegas W 68–55 Stevens (12) 4 Tied (6) Chong (4) College Park Center
N/A
2–1
2018 pre-season schedule

Regular season

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2018 game log
Total: 15–19 (Home: 10–7; Road: 5–12)
May: 2–3 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 18 @ Phoenix L 78–86 Tied (18) Cambage (9) Diggins–Smith (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
11,210
0–1
2 May 20 Atlanta W 101–78 Diggins–Smith (25) Christmas–Kelly (10) Davis (5) College Park Center
5,907
1–1
3 May 23 @ Minnesota L 68–76 Cambage (14) Cambage (12) Diggins–Smith (7) Target Center
7,834
1–2
4 May 26 @ Atlanta W 87–80 Diggins–Smith (24) Cambage (14) Tied (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,749
2–2
5 May 29 @ New York L 89–94 Cambage (28) Cambage (16) Diggins–Smith (7) Westchester County Center
1,516
2–3
June : 5–4 (Home: 3–2; Road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
6 June 2 Seattle W 94–90 Diggins–Smith (27) Tied (7) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
5,191
3–3
7 June 8 @ Indiana W 89–83 Diggins–Smith (35) Diggins–Smith (12) Diggins–Smith (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5,675
4–3
8 June 12 Phoenix L 72–75 Diggins–Smith (16) Thornton (8) Diggins–Smith (4) College Park Center
4,026
4–4
9 June 15 Las Vegas W 77–67 Cambage (28) Cambage (18) Diggins–Smith (6) College Park Center
4,549
5–4
10 June 19 @ Minnesota L 83–91 Diggins–Smith (17) Cambage (9) Diggins–Smith (7) Target Center
8,023
5–5
11 June 22 Los Angeles W 101–72 Cambage (20) Powers (8) Diggins–Smith (11) College Park Center
5,672
6–5
12 June 24 Seattle L 76–97 Cambage (23) Cambage (9) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
4,084
6–6
13 June 26 @ Los Angeles L 83–87 Cambage (25) Cambage (14) Diggins–Smith (5) Staples Center
10,002
6–7
14 June 27 @ Las Vegas W 97–91 Diggins–Smith (29) Cambage (11) Diggins–Smith (8) Mandalay Bay Events Center
5,246
7–7
July : 8–5 (Home: 6–3; Road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
15 July 1 Minnesota L 72–76 Diggins–Smith (16) Johnson (8) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
4,448
7–8
16 July 3 Chicago W 108–85 Cambage (37) Cambage (10) Tied (5) College Park Center
4,012
8–8
17 July 5 Indiana W 90–63 Stevens (26) Johnson (11) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
4,043
9–8
18 July 8 @ New York W 97–87 Diggins–Smith (32) Cambage (12) Gray (6) Westchester County Center
1,719
10–8
19 July 10 Phoenix W 101–72 Diggins–Smith (20) Johnson (9) Tied (4) College Park Center
4,034
11–8
20 July 12 @ Los Angeles W 92–77 Diggins–Smith (22) Johnson (7) Diggins–Smith (11) Staples Center
13,502
12–8
21 July 14 @ Seattle L 84–91 Cambage (23) Stevens (9) Diggins–Smith (7) KeyArena
9,686
12–9
22 July 17 New York W 104–87 Cambage (53) Cambage (10) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
6,459
13–9
23 July 19 Washington W 90–81 Cambage (35) Cambage (17) Diggins–Smith (7) College Park Center
4,411
14–9
24 July 20 @ Chicago L 99–114 Cambage (23) Stevens (9) Tied (5) Wintrust Arena
4,962
14–10
25 July 22 Connecticut L 75–92 Cambage (25) Cambage (10) Tied (5) College Park Center
4,935
14–11
26 July 31 Chicago L 91–92 Cambage (33) Johnson (14) Gray (10) College Park Center
3,696
14–12
August : 1–7 (Home: 1–2; Road: 0–5)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
27 August 2 @ Indiana L 78–84 Cambage (37) Tied (9) 4 Tied (3) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5,981
14–13
28 August 5 Washington L 74–76 Tied (16) Cambage (14) Tied (4) College Park Center
5,623
14–14
29 August 8 Connecticut L 92–101 Cambage (29) Tied (9) Cambage (4) College Park Center
3,483
14–15
30 August 11 @ Atlanta L 82–92 Diggins–Smith (26) Stevens (6) Diggins–Smith (10) McCamish Pavilion
4,937
14–16
31 August 12 @ Washington L 80–93 Diggins–Smith (17) Gray (12) Diggins–Smith (6) Capital One Arena
6,362
14–17
32 August 14 @ Connecticut L 76–96 Gray (18) Cambage (13) Diggins–Smith (8) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,365
14–18
33 August 17 Las Vegas W 107–102 Cambage (43) Cambage (13) Diggins–Smith (8) College Park Center
6,209
15–18
34 August 19 @ Seattle L 68–84 Johnson (16) Johnson (7) Diggins–Smith (4) KeyArena
12,574
15–19
2018 season schedule

Playoffs

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2018 playoff game log
WNBA First Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 August 21 @ Phoenix L 83–101 Diggins–Smith (23) Cambage (12) Diggins–Smith (7) Wells Fargo Arena
4,976
0–1
2018 playoff schedule

Standings

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# Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Seattle Storm (1) 26 8 .765 13–4 13–4 11–5
2 Phoenix Mercury (5) 20 14 .588 6 9–8 11–6 8–8
3 Los Angeles Sparks (6) 19 15 .559 7 11–6 8–9 9–7
4 Minnesota Lynx (7) 18 16 .529 8 9–8 9–8 9–7
5 Dallas Wings (8) 15 19 .441 11 10–7 5–12 7–9
6 e –Las Vegas Aces 14 20 .412 12 8–9 6–11 4–12

Playoffs

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First round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 21)
Second round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 23)
Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)
WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)
1Seattle Storm9191668494
4Connecticut Sun865Phoenix Mercury8787868684
5Phoenix Mercury1015Phoenix Mercury961Seattle Storm897598
8Dallas Wings833Washington Mystics767382
2Atlanta Dream8478817681
3Washington Mystics963Washington Mystics8775769786
6Los Angeles Sparks756Los Angeles Sparks64
7Minnesota Lynx68

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular season

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Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Liz Cambage 32 32 29.5 58.9 32.4 73.8 9.7 2.3 0.5 1.7 23.0
Skylar Diggins-Smith 32 32 34.1 40.3 29.7 83.9 3.3 6.2 1.4 0.5 17.9
Karima Christmas-Kelly 6 6 27.8 44.8 44.4 81.3 5.5 1.5 0.3 0.3 9.3
Kayla Thornton 34 32 28.6 44.7 35.5 86.0 4.0 1.8 1.0 0.4 9.2
Allisha Gray 34 34 26.7 40.3 27.0 86.3 3.4 2.4 1.3 0.2 9.2
Azurá Stevens 34 9 20.6 43.0 31.8 78.8 4.6 1.3 0.9 1.1 8.9
Glory Johnson 29 17 22.5 41.7 31.5 78.0 6.0 1.3 1.0 0.5 8.0
Theresa Plaisance 7 0 11.6 38.9 47.4 0.0 3.7 0.7 0.3 0.3 5.3
Tayler Hill 7 1 16.9 28.9 29.2 100.0 3.7 0.7 0.3 0.3 5.0
Kaela Davis 27 6 16.8 34.7 24.4 64.1 2.0 1.4 0.3 0.0 5.0
Cayla George 23 1 10.7 43.6 30.8 50.0 2.8 0.7 0.1 0.2 3.6
Leticia Romero 21 0 7.0 31.3 20.0 86.7 0.8 1.1 0.0 0.0 1.1
Maggie Lucas 1 0 20.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.0

Awards and honors

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Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Liz Cambage WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week June 4, 2018 [11]
Liz Cambage WNBA All-Star Selection July 17, 2018 [12]
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Liz Cambage WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week July 23, 2018 [13]
WNBA Peak Performer – Points August 19, 2018 [14]

References

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  1. ^ "Wings Announce Broadcast Schedule With Fox Sports Southwest". wings.wnba.com. WNBA. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  2. ^ "2018 Dallas Wings Schedule". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "Dallas Wings Relieve Fred Williams Of Coaching Duties". wnba.com. WNBA. August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Dallas Wings Re-Sign Forward Kayla Thornton". wings.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "Dallas Wings Re-Sign Forward Theresa Plaisance to Multi-Year Contract". wings.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Dallas Wings Sign Liz Cambage". wings.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "DALLAS WINGS RE-SIGN KARIMA CHRISTMAS-KELLY". wings.wnba.com. WNBA. February 28, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Dallas Wings Add Cayla George". wings.wnba.com. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Mystics Trade Tayler Hill To Wings For Aerial Powers". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Dallas Wings Sign Guard Maggie Lucas". wnba.com. WNBA. August 19, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "Tina Charles, Liz Cambage Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Dallas' Cambage Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "Cambage, Fowles And Vandersloot Earn 2018 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
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