After their latest win against the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, the Atlanta Dream have officially qualified for this season’s playoffs. The win at the Mortgage Matchup Center was extra special for Atlanta’s Angel Reese, as this marks the first time she has made the playoffs in her professional career. Understandably, she struggled for words as emotions swept over her.
“We wanted to come on this West Coast road trip and leave 4-0. We obviously have one more to take care of on Monday, but just like I said, setting the tone for what the playoffs is going to look like for our team. … We’ve been through a lot, and I think that’s why we’re so tough right now because you don’t want to peak too early, and we’re right where we want to be right now,” she said,per reporter Wilton C. Jackson II.
“Third quarter, we can’t be like that. But I think the taste that we had, even with the [Las] Vegas game and going into the LA game and coming here in Phoenix, it feels good; we’re in a good position right now.”
The closely contested game saw no shortage of action as Reese finished the night with a career-high 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as well. This was her 25th double-double of the season.
It was an all-round effort by the Dream, as Rhyne Howard scored 20 points, Allisha Gray added 17, and Jordin Canada put up 12 points for Atlanta’s victory, who are now 24-13 for the season at 4th in the standings. This places them half a game ahead of the Indiana Fever, who are 5th, as the race for fourth place and the home-court advantage it entails heats up.
The Atlanta Dream have now won five of their last six games. Kahleah Copper’s 38 points came in a losing effort as the Mercury were eliminated from playoff contention.
Reese’s form would be critical for the Dream in the postseason as well. She is averaging 15.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game this season, establishing herself as a solid frontcourt presence for Atlanta.
Reese has already surpassed several milestones this season. She shattered the all-time WNBA record for the fastest to 1,000 career rebounds by reaching 1,000 career rebounds in just 79 games. She recently broke her own all-time WNBA single-season record for offensive rebounds by passing her 2024 mark of 172 offensive rebounds.
In Atlanta’s previous game against the Sparks, Reese became just the third player in WNBA history to record a 20-point double-double while shooting 100% from the field. She finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists on 9-of-9 shooting.
Atlanta fans will hope that the trio of Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray can carry them deep into the playoffs as they take on the Los Angeles Sparks next.
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