Angel Reese was playing in just her fourth WNBA playoff game, but with 6.1 seconds left in overtime and the Atlanta Dream clinging to a one-point lead, she knew exactly what to do. Reese raced to the sideline and whispered to teammate De Wanna Bonner to inbound the ball in the backcourt, allowing Reese to kill clock. The end of Wednesday's Game 2 semifinal was marred by controversy over why the New York Liberty didn't call their final reset timeout, but it overshadowed Reese's savvy move. She ran 1.8 seconds off the clock and drew the sixth and final foul on hot-shooting Liberty rookie Marine Fauthoux. Reese converted both free throws, Breanna Stewart missed a last-ditch heave, and the Dream secured a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-five series.
Reese scored a playoff career-high 23 points, including a team-best six in overtime, and added seven rebounds and two blocks. In the second period, she made a 3-pointer before stealing the ball and converting an and-1 that gave Atlanta the lead. Reese has helped transform the No. 4-seeded Dream into arguably the best team left in the WNBA playoffs, the only one yet to lose in the 2026 postseason, and one win away from the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013.
"She's the motor," said Bonner, a 39-year-old veteran in her 17th WNBA season. "Her defensive presence is unmatched. ... She brings the toughness. She brings the umph." Reese, the No. 7 pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 draft, has earned All-Star honors in each of her first three seasons. The Sky traded her to Atlanta in April following friction between Reese and the team.
In Atlanta, Reese plays alongside Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada. "When you play with great players, they push you every single day to your potential," Reese said. "I'm just really grateful to have sisters in the locker room that really, really genuinely care and love me."
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing