A bucket for an underground loading machine includes an opened bucket front and a concaved bucket back. To provide abrasive wear resistance, the bucket includes a paddle plate joined to the bucket underside of the bucket floor. The paddle plate can have a trumpet-shape tapering from flared forward edge to a plate tail disposed toward the concaved bucket back. The bucket may be configured as a wedge bottomed bucket and include a plurality of spacer wedges disposed between and spacing apart the bucket underside and the paddle plate.