Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese had a sensational run in the regular season, during which she finished as the league’s No. 1 rebounder with 12.1 boards per game. She was also third in steals with 1.8 per contest.
Furthermore, Reese tallied a career-high 16.4 points on 45.1% shooting, along with 2.8 assists and 0.7 blocks.
With her performance, the Associated Press named her the Defensive Player of the Year. She was also voted into the All-AP Second Team, further highlighting how impactful she has been for the Dream this season.
As the Dream entered the WNBA playoffs, however, there were some concerns about Reese because of a recent injury she suffered during their final game of the regular season.
During Wednesday’s showdown with the New York Liberty, Reese received an elbow to the face from Sabrina Ionescu. The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 and resulted in two free throws for Reese, but she was also forced to exit the contest and didn’t return.
Fortunately, Reese was not ruled out for Game 1 of the Dream’s first-round series with the Washington Mystics in the WNBA playoffs. She was not included in the injury report, suggesting that she was healthy enough to play.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Nonetheless, that didn’t mean that Reese was at 100%. Ahead of the Mystics showdown, the Dream forward was seen wearing a protective face mask. It’s worth noting that Reese appeared to injure her nose after Ionescu’s hit.
The WNBA took notice of Reese’s new look and commented on it, even giving her the nickname, “FACE MASK BARBIE.”
“We’re digging your new look, Angel,” the WNBA wrote while sharing a video of Reese warming up.
It remains to be seen how long Reese will need to wear the face mask. Regardless, it’s not expected to affect her performance at all.
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