Superstar forward Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream pulled off a critical win over the Las Vegas Aces as the final iteration of the WNBA standings slowly rounds into shape. Reese scored 21 points and snatched 10 rebounds in the 97-82 win.
It was a big bounce back from Atlanta’s last gam, a 95-91 overtime loss on Sunday to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, where Reese struggled immensely with her scoring efficiency and missed what would’ve been a game-winning layup at point-blank range at the end of regulation.
Reese’s struggles on Sunday drew the ire of pundits and fans on social media, but the three-time all-star had the right approach to bouncing back and showing up for her teammates.
Not going to be defined by one bad moment
“I knew how much my team needed me,” she said in Tuesday’s postgame presser, via video shared by Andrew Jerell Jones. “Like I said last game, I mean, it was very tough for me. I didn’t sleep. And the competitor in me, like, wanted to win that game so bad.
“And I replayed that play so many times. But I’m like, ‘why would I let one moment dictate everything else that I have going on that is positive?’ So just being able to show up again for my team, it would have been negative for me not to come out tonight and just bounce back. And I knew they expected it from me. So just being able to do it, obviously, against A’ja, trying to deflect as many passes as I can.
“Last game was very tough for me. I didn’t sleep…I replay that play so many times. And I’m like, why would I let that moment dictate everything else that I have going on that’s positive?”
Angel Reese on the win over the Aces from that tough Fever loss.https://t.co/JEkbhdEFif pic.twitter.com/aj9vixWnm3
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) August 19, 2026
“I mean, she’s going to get her shots up, of course. Um, but just knowing my spots and how great I am defensively, um, to put pressure on her.”
Tuesday’s win has Atlanta sitting at fifth in the WNBA standings, just one game behind Vegas. If one thing is for certain, it is that Reese will have the right mindset heading into every game down the stretch to help the Dream to climb its way back into the top four and secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.