The Dallas Wings hope to solve their end-game issues and bounce back from a pair of close losses when they square off against the slumping Connecticut Sun on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

The Wings (18-11) return home after an 81-75 loss in Washington D.C. to the Mystics on Friday in a game Dallas came back from 10 points down in the first half to tie it at 71 with two and a half minutes to play.

But, similar to a stunning loss at home to Atlanta on Wednesday, the Wings were outplayed in the final minutes and fell for the third time in their past four outings.

Paige Bueckers amassed 17 of her 23 points in the second half of Friday’s loss. Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points, and Alanna Smith had 11 points in 18 minutes for the Wings.

Dallas finished the month of July with seven wins in 10 games; the three losses were by a combined eight points and in each game, the Wings either led or were tied down the stretch.

“Teams just play really aggressive in the last three minutes, blitzing, trapping, being more aggressive that way, trying to get us out of our actions, playing to our personnel,” Bueckers said about Dallas’s recent struggle to finish games. “And (we need) to be aggressive, put in some new sets, execute better. I think that is the key.

“Some nights it doesn’t go your way, but we’ve got to force it to go our way, and also play better the first 35 minutes so it doesn’t come down to the last five every single game.”

The Sun (7-22) have dropped four straight games, most recently a 94-88 decision in Chicago on Thursday. All five starters scored in double figures for Connecticut in the loss and the Sun outrebounded Chicago by six but could not withstand a second half swoon that erased a nine-point halftime lead.

“The effort has to come from everyone on this team,” Connecticut coach Rachid Meziane said. “At the same time, we are very young and at times it’s hard for us to stay composed and try to stick to our game plan.”

Aneesah Morrow matched her career high with 21 points for Connecticut in defeat, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa posted a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Diamond Miller added 14 points for the Sun, Leila Lacan had 12 and Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with 10 points.

On Friday, Morrow was traded to Toronto for the rights to forward Maria Kliundikova and the Tempo’s 2028 second round pick.

Connecticut is expected to play without veteran center Brittney Griner, out for the fourth consecutive game as she continues to recover from a left knee injury.

Sunday’s game is the last of a six-game road trip for Connecticut that started with a win in Phoenix on July 17. The Sun are 3-7 over their last 10 contests and lost at home to Dallas 86-83 in the teams’ first meeting this year on July 2.

–Field Level Media

The defensive-minded Golden State Valkyries will attempt to work their magic once again on high-scoring Marina Mabrey when the Toronto Tempo visit San Francisco for the first of two meetings over a three-day stretch on Sunday night.

The clubs will duel again Tuesday.

The Valkyries (19-9) and Tempo (10-18) met July 8 in Toronto, with the visitors using a 26-16 fourth-quarter finish to pull out an 83-75 victory.

Golden State’s Janelle Salaun was the leading scorer that night with 26 points, somewhat of a rarity in a game involving Mabrey this season. She missed all three of her 3-point attempts and totaled just 11 points in the defeat.

Mabrey, who has gone over 20 points 13 times this season, has since averaged 2.9 3-pointers and 21.9 points over seven games.

Toronto enters the two-game sequence having lost five in a row, despite the fact that Mabrey has had 25- and 26-point performances. She went for 30 the last time the Tempo won, 93-91 over the New York Liberty on July 12.

The All-Star will have a new sidekick in San Francisco with the Tempo having traded for Connecticut’s Aneesah Morrow, who averaged 11.6 points in 20 games for the Sun this season.

Morrow is expected to join her new team for the start of a five-game trip.

“The message in going on the road trip is: We’re going to compete,” Toronto coach Sandy Brondello promised this week. “We have to show some fight. When we’re winning, it’s all good, and when we’re losing, it’s all bad.

“We’ve got to face adversity, and we are. What kind of team do we want to be? We can still fight, regardless of the score.”

The Valkyries have dealt well with adversity this season. They’re currently on a two-game losing streak, their third of the year. On the previous two occasions, they responded to the threat of a third straight defeat with four- and nine-game winning streaks.

Golden State point guard Veronica Burton expects better than the performance that led to a 91-89 road loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the team’s most recent game Wednesday.

“I think even being in that game was impressive for us because we did a lot of things wrong,” she told reporters afterward. “There’s a lot to learn from – just being on the same page, keeping our composure. (We’ve) just got to bounce back from it.”

–Field Level Media

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Ryan O’Hearn on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, after the first baseman/outfielder suffered a left quad strain late in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

While meeting with the media before Saturday’s game in Cincinnati, O’Hearn said he will miss six-to-eight weeks.

O’Hearn ,33, had to be helped off the field in the ninth after he unsuccessfully tried to beat out a high chopper to second. He hopped awkwardly as he crossed the first base bag.

A free-agent acquisition in the offseason, O’Hearn is hitting .270 in 96 games. His 17 home runs tie his career high, and he has driven in 69 runs.

In a corresponding move, the Pirates activated catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores, Jr. from the seven-day concussion IL. Flores, Jr. has played in eight games for Pittsburgh in 2026, collecting four hits in 15 at-bats, with his first career home run and two RBIs.

Flores, Jr. is in Saturday’s lineup, batting eighth and playing first base.

Also, Antwone Kelly was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis and fellow right-hander Isaac Mattson was recalled from the same affiliate.

–Field Level Media