Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream swept the Washington Mystics in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. After winning Game 1 by a score of 92-77, Atlanta took care of business again in Game 2 and blew out Washington 93-75.
Allisha Gray led the Dream with 22 points, while Jordin Canada had an all-around performance of 19 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and three steals.
Reese, for her part, tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks. She had the best plus-minus rating on the team at +26, highlighting her major impact on Atlanta whenever she was on the court.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Unfortunately for Reese, the win wasn’t without an issue for her. She was assessed a technical foul midway through the fourth quarter of the game, which puts her in line to receive a fine.
With 4:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reese grabbed the rebound following her block on Michaela Onyenwere. However, the Dream star couldn’t help but taunt the Mystics forward following her big play.
Reese appeared to say something to Onyenwere after looking at her, prompting the referee to call a tech.
According to the WNBA’s rules, a player’s first two technical fouls in the postseason each carry a $500 fine.
Sure enough, Reese will have to be more careful with her on-court antics moving forward since the technical foul limit in the playoffs is shorter than in the regular season. A player gets a $1,000 fine and a warning letter from the WNBA when they reach their third technical foul.
Once a player gets to their fourth tech, they are fined $1,500 and suspended for one game.
With the second round of the postseason being a five-game series, there’s a real possibility that Reese could get suspended if she accumulates more techs. It’s worth noting that she got close to the limit during the regular season with seven technical fouls.
