Not everything is going against the Dallas Wings' playoff hopes, despite losing rookie sensation and 2026 No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd to a season-ending knee injury.

And the recent announcement on the Dallas Wings' official X handle reflected that after the team's big victory over the Indiana Fever on the same night the Portland Fire lost their game against the Toronto Tempo.

The team announced that they can clinch a 2026 WNBA playoff berth as early as Tuesday with a victory over the Portland Fire. And it doesn't depend on what happens in their next matchup against the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

"With Portland’s loss last night - the @DallasWings can clinch a playoff berth on Tuesday. A win over the Fire on Tuesday at College Park Center locks a postseason berth for the Wings, regardless of Sunday’s results against Seattle," Dallas Wings PR wrote on X.

The Wings beat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 91-85 on Thursday night at American Airlines Center.

Dallas improved to 21-16 after the win, moving them one victory shy of tying the franchise's single-season record of 22 wins, set in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Portland Fire dropped to 15-21 after the loss with only 8 games remaining for the season.

Dallas now sits 5.5 games ahead of Portland for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot with only seven regular-season games left.

Because Dallas holds the advantage and Portland is running out of games, a single win on Tuesday against the Fire would seal the spot and send Dallas straight into the postseason.

Clinching is the easy part — retooling around Fudd is the real test

Replacing Fudd's production will not be an easy task for the Wings in the postseason.

The rookie star was averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 steals over 30 games. She was the team's best three-point shooter at 39.7% and their top perimeter defender. And earlier this year, she became the first rookie ever to win the WNBA 3-Point Contest.

Dallas has already utilized four different starters in Fudd's position—Aziaha James, Odyssey Sims, Alysha Clark, and Kuier. However, without her on the court, the Wings have a record of only 2-5 this season.

They need to discover a viable solution in their lineup if they want to succeed for the remainder of the season and in the playoffs moving forward.

Head coach Jose Fernandez has been candid about what that means for the team after the win over Indiana.

"When you lose a player like Azzi, who was the number-one pick, and we’ve relied so much on both ends of the floor... now you’re kind of retooling a lot of things that you’re doing on the offensive and defensive end," Fernandez said, per Dallas Wings on YouTube.

Written by

Md Saife Fida