Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were both in action on Sunday as the WNBA playoffs kicked off.
Reese, who was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year earlier in the day, made her postseason debut as the Atlanta Dream took on the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of their first-round series. Reese logged a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double to help Atlanta win 92-77.
Clark also received an individual honor on Sunday. She won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. The Indiana Fever, however, lost to the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in Game 1, 102-85. Clark also logged a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists.
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Reese is now 1-0 in the WNBA playoffs. Sunday marked her first postseason game after missing the playoffs with the Chicago Sky in her first two years in the WNBA.
With Atlanta’s victory, Reese has officially beaten out Clark for her first WNBA playoff win.
The Fever have made it to the playoffs in all three seasons since they drafted Clark first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
However, Indiana lost in the first round during Clark’s rookie year. They fell to the Connecticut Sun, 2-0. Clark was injured throughout last season’s playoffs, when the Fever reached the semifinals. After Sunday’s loss to the Aces, Clark is now 0-3 in the postseason.
Clark’s next chance to secure her first playoff win comes Tuesday. The Fever will need to beat the Aces to keep their season alive.
Meanwhile, Reese and the Dream can book their spot in the semifinals with a Game 2 win against the Mystics on Wednesday.
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