Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso made up a formidable Chicago Sky frontcourt duo the past two seasons. Cardoso was the third selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Reese heard her name called four picks later.
They were a tandem until the Sky dealt Reese to the Atlanta Dream in the offseason, a seismic trade that yielded Chicago 2027 and 2028 first-round picks.
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On Tuesday, instead of sharing the floor as teammates, Reese and Cardoso went toe-to-toe against each other as opponents, both starring in the first half with 11 points apiece.
In the third quarter, Reese secured her eighth double-double of the season. The two-time All-Star finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds on 5-of-12 shooting in her first regular-season game back in Chicago. Cardoso, meanwhile, wound up with 13 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 rebounds. Reese’s Dream came out on top with an 82-75 victory.
Atlanta (8-3) bumped its record to 3-1 in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup standings. Chicago (4-8), on the other hand, slid to 1-3 in the early-season competition.
Reese received a warm welcome from Sky fans on Tuesday. It wasn’t her first return to Wintrust Arena since the trade, though. She was also there in April for a preseason game, in which she was welcomed with a tribute video.
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That night, however, the former LSU standout played only the first half, like the rest of the Dream’s starters. As expected, she was on the court much longer this time around.
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Despite the work Reese put in this offseason to further improve her outside shot, she came into the midweek clash with only one 3-pointer this season. She doubled her long-range output with a second-quarter stroke from downtown that beat the shot clock.
The lead changed hands throughout the night, as the Sky hardly looked like a team that had dropped six of their last seven games. Chicago was powered by Cardoso and veteran guard Skylar Diggins in the opening half, which they ended with a 42-39 advantage.
Diggins hit a trio of 3s over the first two quarters of play, and the Sky as a group was 5 of 8 from deep in that span.
This story is being updated.
