It was once again a house of cards for the Dallas Wings. They rallied against the A’ja Wilson-less Las Vegas Aces, who are admittedly in grey form and seemed to be on their way to an upset. But the Aces showed why they are a Championship-calibre side as even without their MVP, they went on a 17-2 run in the final four minutes to take home the victory, leaving Chris Koclanes and Co. reeling.

This loss meant that the Dallas Wings are now 1-11 in the WNBA, and almost every game, they are on the brink of breaking their jinx, but they falter time and time again. Naturally, the pressure and the blame have fallen on the first-time head coach Koclanes, who expressed his frustration in the post-match press conference.

Koclanes told the media, “It was just discipline down the stretch. And again, you know, part of what we talked about was the balance of slowing it down and taking the air out of the ball versus continuing to do what was working. So I hear that uh and like we got to be better, Um that too, you know.”

The Wings are the third fastest team in the league, with almost 97 possessions per 40 minutes, and they have sustained that over 12 games now. The players and the coaching staff seem to be fixated on a faster style of basketball, but that is hurting them in clutch moments like these. They have rarely led in the W so far, but when they have, Bueckers and Co. have tried to play the same brand of basketball, and that has backfired.

Because of their persistence in playing fast, the opponents have gone with the flow. The teams had huge stretches of play where they just carried the momentum to establish huge leads. Take the second quarter against the Seattle Storm in the second game of the season. The Storm had a 20-10 quarter, and even after a late comeback from the Wings, it was not enough. The game against the Atlanta Dream had a similar story; after leading in the first quarter, they conceded 51 in the next two quarters while scoring just 32. They had a positive fourth quarter, but by then it was just too late.

This has been the story for the Wings and Koclanes took some of the blame on himself as he further said, “So yes like it’s definitely on me I could have been better in in putting them in better situations and we needed to have more discipline down the stretch to at least make them have to make shots um you know they didn’t their the one bucket they hit was the one to give them the lead.”

Koclanes’ tactics have been criticized from day 1, and considering he is one of the new coaches, more eyes are on him. The Wings have not used the Arike-Bueckers duo enough and spread their scoring responsibilities around the squad. It is always one of them taking the initiative. But this game was a little different.

Against the Aces, Arike was back in form, scoring 26 points and getting 8 assists, Paige Bueckers was also in her elegant best, scoring 16 while assisting 5. Di Jonai Carrington and Luisa Geiselsoder also had 15 and 13 points each. For any opponent, this should have been enough, but their defense let them down. Jewell Lloyd and Jackie Young spun a ring around the Wings, especially in that last stretch when the Wings just couldn’t stop fouling them.

Koclanes addressed the fouling issues, saying, “You know it was 10 points from the free-throw line. It was a 10-0 run from the free throw line. Um, so that’s what’s frustrating, is uh our discipline, and it’s not new. You know, we’ve been struggling with that here with our fouling. Uh, I think we’ve been better the last couple of games, but um it continues to be an area of growth for us

Luisa Geiselsöder had previously emphasized the importance of discipline following their narrow loss to the Mercury, a game where Paige Bueckers single-handedly kept the Wings afloat with a 35-point masterclass. In this matchup against the Aces, Bueckers showed that same hunger and intent, determined to lead by example and deliver a win against one of the league’s most formidable teams. Yet once again, the collective effort came undone in the closing stages.

The Wings had done the heavy lifting. They battled hard, matched the Aces possession for possession, and held the lead for much of the game. But with the finish line in sight, their inexperience and lack of composure became apparent. While they are not the worst team in the league when it comes to fouling, averaging 19.3 personal fouls per game, their fouls tend to come at the most critical and damaging moments. Against a team like Las Vegas, which thrives on drawing contact and exploiting mistakes, this was a costly flaw.

Dallas had put itself in a strong position to pull off a statement win. All they needed in the final minutes was to manage the clock, stay composed, and close out possessions. Instead, they got overeager. That lack of poise resulted in poor decisions, unnecessary fouls, and a breakdown of their defensive structure. The opportunity to seal a signature victory slipped through their fingers.

The Aces remained composed and made the most of every mistake. They capitalized on the free throws, executed with efficiency, and took advantage of the Wings’ lack of discipline. The disparity in transition scoring also highlighted Dallas’ struggles, with Las Vegas scoring 15 fast-break points compared to the Wings’ 8. When the pace quickened in the final stretch, the Wings could not keep up.

This game further cements a troubling trend for the Dallas Wings, a team full of young talent but struggling to execute in critical moments. The offensive firepower is there, with players like Bueckers, Ogunbowale, and  DiJonai having the ability to score, but their consistency is still an issue. Their inability to adapt their tempo, coupled with persistent discipline issues, continues to haunt them

This was arguably the Dallas Wings’ most cohesive and complete performance of the season. Throughout the year, one of the recurring concerns has been their tendency to rely on individual brilliance rather than producing a well-synchronized team effort. In this game, however, they finally showcased what a unified offensive approach could look like. Four of the five starters scored in double digits, while the bench contributed solidly with an additional eight points, signaling a more balanced and inclusive offensive rhythm.

Offensively, the Wings were notably efficient, shooting 47.1 percent from the field compared to the Aces’ 41.9 percent. The absence of A’ja Wilson, who is one of the league’s most prolific and efficient scorers, was felt on the Aces’ end. From beyond the arc, Dallas also held the upper hand, connecting on 40 percent of their three-point attempts while limiting Vegas to just 34.5 percent.

Though Las Vegas managed to win the rebounding battle with 36 boards to Dallas’ 29, the Wings compensated with grit and hustle. They forced an impressive 18 turnovers and translated those into 23 points, demonstrating their ability to pressure the ball and capitalize on opponents’ mistakes. Ball movement was another major highlight for Dallas; they recorded 24 assists on 33 made field goals, which showed that their chemistry has come miles from where they started.

Despite all these positives, the game slipped away in the final stretch, underlining once again that execution in the clutch remains their Achilles’ heel. This recurring pattern will be troubling for everyone in the Wings camp as it will play on their mind as the season goes on. And as they continually search for their second win, they might try too much and forget all the progress they have made so far

Nonetheless, this performance hinted at the potential this roster has when playing in sync, something they must build upon if they hope to shift the momentum of their season. Despite that heartbreaking loss, they will also take positives from the game and learn from the negatives. That goes for everyone on the court as well as the coach. They will need to be persistent and focus on the process, at least for this season.