Angel Reese just dropped a career-high 31 points, and it wasn’t just another insane night on the stat sheet: it officially clinched a playoff spot for the Atlanta Dream. Her monster performance also sealed a 3-0 season series sweep over the Mercury, capping off a red-hot West Coast road trip that has the Dream rolling.
Reese’s Unstoppable Surge
This latest explosion against Phoenix, where Reese also grabbed 14 boards and secured four steals, is just the latest chapter in a dominant run. Before that, she was the key to snapping Atlanta’s tough six-game losing streak against the Las Vegas Aces, putting up a 21-point and 10-rebound double-double. And when the Dream first stopped in Los Angeles, Reese was absolutely perfect, nearly hitting a triple-double with 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a truly dominant win over the Sparks. This woman is a force, plain and simple, and she’s keeping the Dream firmly in contention for homecourt advantage in the first round of the WNBA playoffs as the current No. 4 seed.
The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
What makes Reese’s current apex even more remarkable is how quickly she bounced back from a critical miss just over a week ago: a guaranteed game-winning putback against the Indiana Fever that went awry. That kind of stumble could absolutely bury a player, especially in the spotlight. Instead, she’s blossomed. Asked about her clear confidence after the win in Phoenix, Reese kept it real: “Honestly, just staying poised and not letting anybody speed me up. I think I’m not at my best when I’m rushing around the basket. So, just kind of staying confident right where I know I can be in the shots that I make around the basket that I work on in practice, just taking my time and finishing those. I knew that they were going to step up a lot and trap and hedge our guards. So, I knew I was going to be open down low. So, I just had to finish, and I think I did a good job of that today.” She’s locked in, folks.
This level of play didn’t just appear overnight. It’s the culmination of steady progress throughout her first season in Atlanta. Coach Karl Smekso saw his team find their stride late last season, and it looks like this year, with Reese in the fold, they’re following a similar trajectory. Everything is finally clicking, and the Dream are a connected two-way unit. Reese herself mentioned the team’s journey, saying, “We’ve been through a lot, and”
Next up, the Dream roll into LA on Monday night aiming to complete that perfect 4-0 West Coast road trip against the Sparks. With Reese playing like this, and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs still up for grabs, every single possession matters.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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