Angel Reese shook off a nightmare finish against the Indiana Fever two days ago to drop 21 points and lead the Atlanta Dream to a decisive 97-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night.
The Dream forward dominated the paint against reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, grabbing 10 rebounds and converting 8 of her 9 free throw attempts.
The blowout win was just the perfect remedy for Reese, who had spent the previous 48 hours agonizing over a costly mistake against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana team.
Angel Reese Bounces Back Against the Aces After Fever Heartbreak
The Dream suffered a brutal 95-91 overtime loss to the Fever on Sunday afternoon. With the game tied in the final seconds of regulation, Reese grabbed an offensive board but missed a point-blank putback layup that would have sealed the win.
Indiana survived the scare and dominated the extra period behind Clark, who finished with 26 points and 9 assists.
As was expected from social media, the missed sequence went viral immediately. Fans and analysts dissected the play, pointing out Reese’s recurring struggles finishing through contact around the rim.
Reese addressed the emotional toll of the offensive blunder after Tuesday’s win over Las Vegas. She admitted it weighed heavily on her mind before the opening tip against the defending champions.
“Last game was very tough for me. I didn’t sleep,” Reese admitted. “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?”
“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
She seemed to channel that Fever frustration directly into her matchup with Wilson and the Las Vegas frontcourt. Reese shot nearly 50% from the floor and completely neutralized the Aces on the glass.
Reese finished with a plus-15 rating in 39 minutes of action, outworking her opponents on both ends of the floor.
The Dream acquired her from the Chicago Sky in an April trade, sending two first-round picks to secure her services. The deal, so far, seems to have paid dividends.
Reese set the franchise’s single-season rebounding record last week against the Connecticut Sun and is currently putting up career-best scoring numbers while maintaining the rebounding pace she’s well known for.
Reese is averaging 5 offensive rebounds per game through 35 contests this season. At 171 offensive boards in 34 games this season, she is on the verge of breaking her own WNBA single-season record of 172 set during her rookie campaign.
Looking to clinch a playoff berth, Atlanta will need Reese’s dominance in the paint as they travel to Crypto.com Arena next to face the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.
