Angel Reese had herself a day on Sunday for the Atlanta Dream as they secured their second straight win and their fourth in five games. The two-time All-Star showed exactly what the Dream wanted from her, providing tenacity and clutch performances in an 82-80 win over the Phoenix Mercury.
The 2024 seventh overall pick finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block. Her scoring output was the third highest for the Dream behind veterans Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, who scored 21 and 18 points, respectively.
Reese’s double-double is just another day at the office for her. However, this one was a bit different as it placed her in remarkable WNBA history. The league announced that Reese became the fastest player to record 950+ points and 850+ rebounds.
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
She accomplished the feat in 69 games, breaking the record set by 2012 MVP and Connecticut Sun legend Tina Charles, who did it in 75 games.
Reese’s impact was felt throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter when the Dream trailed by nine points, 75-66, with 3:03 remaining. They battled back behind Reese, who grabbed rebounds, scored a layup and made free throws in the final two minutes to complete the comeback.
She also made the steal on the final possession to secure the victory for her team.
Howard believes Reese is the missing piece for the Dream which lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
"She's doing all the little things we've not done in the past, often times we would've folded but because of the tenacity that she brings, because of the energy that she brings, we have no choice but to follow her," she told the court side reporter.
The Dream remain at no. 1 in the standings with a 4-1 record.
