Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts praised Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese for her on-court competitiveness.
On Thursday, the Sparks welcomed the Dream to Crypto.com Arena, and Reese turned in one of the best performances of her career.
The seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead Atlanta to a 124-88 road win. She also shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field.
Reese became the second player in WNBA history with at least 25 double-doubles in a single season, along with Alyssa Thomas.
This outstanding performance drew high praise from Los Angeles head coach Roberts during her post-game interview.
“I don’t know if it’s a learning thing, I think it’s a respect thing,” Roberts said. “Say what you want, there’s always a lot of narrative about Angel, but she competes, and she plays so hard.”
Roberts also pointed out how Reese still positively impacts the game for her team even when she’s not on the floor.
“I respect the hell out of that,” the Sparks coach continued. “Even when she wasn’t in the game, she’s the loudest on the bench and like she’s a competitor, and I just have a lot of respect for that.”
Aside from the double-double feat, the three-time WNBA All-Star also broke her own offensive rebound record with 175 and became the first player in league history to have a 15/5/5 stat on 100% FG in the first half.
It was the Dream’s second straight win and their 23rd overall this season. Next up for Reese and Co. is a clash with the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday at Mortgage Matchup Center.
