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Angel Reese’s Career-High 31 Sends Atlanta Dream Into Playoffs

Following a perfect 9-for-9 night plus a WNBA single-season offensive-rebound record, Reese’s hot streak has propelled the Dream up the Eastern Conference standings.

Overview

  • Reese scored a career-high 31 points with 14 rebounds in Atlanta’s 99-89 win at Phoenix that clinched the Dream a playoff berth on Saturday, Aug. 22, moving the team into the top tier of the East.
  • Two days earlier Reese posted a perfect 9-for-9 game against the Los Angeles Sparks, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and becoming only the third WNBA player with a 20-point double-double on 100 percent shooting.
  • In the Sparks rout Atlanta scored a franchise-record 124 points, shot 63.9 percent from the field, and set a team high with 35 assists, showing the Dream’s offense can pair volume with efficient ball movement.
  • Reese’s surge followed a widely covered late-game missed putback against Indiana and drew praise from coach Karl Smesko and teammates Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada for turning a setback into sustained production.
  • By breaking her own single-season offensive-rebound mark (173) and joining a small group of historic performances, Reese has raised her profile entering the playoffs and changed how opponents must defend Atlanta on the glass and in the paint.