Angel Reese made key plays on both ends to help the Atlanta Dream beat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 108-101 on Thursday. She grabbed 3 rebounds and scored 4 points in the final 1:08, including converting an and-1 with 23.1 seconds remaining that pushed Atlanta’s lead to 106-99.
The win allowed the Dream to tie their season series against the Fever 1-1, improving Reese’s career record against Clark, her premier rival, to 2-5. Afterward, the two-time All-Star forward’s clutch two-way play sparked major buzz across the WNBA community.
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WNBA Observers Shower Angel Reese With Praise After Dream’s Thrilling Win vs. Caitlin Clark’s Fever
4 first-half fouls forced Dream coach Karl Smesko to limit Reese to 11 minutes in the opening half. Despite the risk of fouling out, Smesko didn’t hesitate to play her down the stretch, a decision that paid off. Atlanta needed everything it could get from Reese, who finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Atlanta led 93-88 with 6:34 to go when Smesko gave Reese a breather. Indiana tied the game after a reverse layup from Sophie Cunningham with 5:09 left. Reese promptly returned and helped the Dream regain the lead. Atlanta eventually held off Indiana behind strong play from the 24-year-old and co-star Rhyne Howard.
Reese’s outstanding performance prompted the basketball world to shower her with praise.
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“Angel Reese delivered in the clutch,” the NBA’s X account captioned Reese’s and-1.
“Angel Reese is an absolute beast,” ESPN’s Sam Block reacted.
Podcaster Jason Whitlock gave the Dream standout credit, writing, “Angel Reese had a great game — 21 and 11. But the best thing she did was not meltdown into a multiple, F-bomb tirade when she picked up her fourth foul and aggravate the officiating crew. Maturity.”
“I was wrong about Caitlin Clark & Fever. With her benched w 5 fouls, they did battle back from 9 down to tie. But Angel Reese (21 & 11) & the Dream prevailed, & did she ever appear to enjoy beating her arch rival,” veteran pundit Skip Bayless added.
DraftKings posted on X that the victory marked Reese’s second against Clark in the WNBA, evening up their head-to-head encounters at 6-6 dating back to their college days.
In yet another nationally televised game between the arch rivals, Reese outshone Clark, who debuted her Caitlin 1 signature shoe. Clark started the fourth quarter, but left with 8:41 remaining after committing her 5th foul. The Fever point guard returned with 3:28 to go but could not score or dish an assist until the final buzzer sounded.
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Before Thursday, Reese’s only win against Clark was on June 23, 2024, when the former LSU star helped the Chicago Sky edge the Fever 88-87.
Reese and Clark will rematch on Saturday in Atlanta, giving the WNBA community another dose of arguably the league’s most exciting rivalry.
