Angel Reese was among two Atlanta Dream players who missed late layups in the closing moments of a gut-wrenching loss to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Sunday.
To ensure Tuesday’s victory over the Las Vegas Aces wasn’t decided in the final moments, Reese posted 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in the Dream’s 97-82 win.
After the game, Reese told reporters that the viral missed layup from Sunday against Clark and the Fever fueled her performance for Atlanta against Vegas.
“I understood how much my teammates needed me,” Reese said at her postgame press conference. “As I said after the last game, it was incredibly tough for me. I didn’t sleep.”
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“The competitor in me yearned to win that game so badly and I replayed that moment countless times, but I reminded myself not to let one moment define all the other positives I have going on,” she continued.
“So I had to show up for my team; it would have been negative not to come out tonight and rebound, and I knew they were counting on me,” Reese explained.
Reese was one of four Dream starters to reach double figures in Tuesday’s victory over Las Vegas, while Atlanta limited the Aces to 40 percent shooting for the game.
Rhyne Howard, whose airball on Sunday preceded Reese’s viral miss against the Fever, led the Dream with 23 points, with Reese and Allisha Gray each adding 21; Jordin Canada contributed 17; and Naz Hillmon added seven after rebounding Reese’s missed layup on Sunday before missing a buzzer-beating attempt.
The win allowed the Dream to move on from the overtime defeat to the Fever.
The latest chapter in the Clark-Reese rivalry, tracing back to their collegiate days at Iowa and LSU, respectively, drew record ESPN viewership.
ESPN reported an average of 2.58 million viewers for Sunday’s Fever–Dream clash, marking the largest cable-delivered audience ever for a WNBA game, according to Sports Media Watch.
The heightened focus on Reese-Clark meetings only adds to the pressure on players to perform.
As the team eyes a probable playoff spot, Sunday’s setback did not linger, and the improvement was a positive sign for Reese and the Dream as they moved forward.
