Talented forward Angel Reese helped to lead the Atlanta Dream to a stirring 108-101 win over the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday evening to improve to 10-4 for the season. Reese registered a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds on 57.1% shooting from the floor in the win over longtime rival Caitlin Clark’s Fever.
Analyst Compares Angel Reese to Four-Time NBA All-Star
During Thursday’s segment of the “Night Cap” podcast, former NBA star Joe Johnson compared Reese’s work rate and production to some of the NBA’s great players of the past, including four-time All-Star Shawn Marion and two-time All-Star Zach Randolph.
“Obviously, Angel Reese, I feel like she’s the catalyst. Her energy and effort, you can’t make up for that. I don’t know why Chicago (Sky) was willing to give her up, but I’m glad that she came to Atlanta. She’s a monster. Since Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA, they’ve changed the trajectory of the way the league is being seen.
“She (Reese) reminds me of Shawn Marion. He was gonna end up with 20 and 10 every night. He just outworked everybody. Angel Reese reminds me of Z-Bo (Zach Randolph). She’s just outworking everyone who she plays against and you know playing against a player like that every night, she’s coming to play, you better be ready.”
In the game against the Fever, Reese was called for four fouls in a rocky first half, but she managed the second half without collecting her fifth foul as she led the Dream to a key victory. The Dream forward completed a spectacular three-point play with 23.1 seconds remaining to close out the road win for the Dream inside a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Reese deflected the attention from her impressive performance to the team’s collective effort in staving off a Fever comeback.
“We kind of talked a little bit at halftime about not getting comfortable,” Reese said. “I think we kind of stayed together and continued to push. We knew they were going to go on a run, especially with their crowd. When their crowd gets into it, I think they feel that energy, and they did a great job with that.”
Since being traded to the Dream from the Chicago Sky, Reese is averaging 14.6 points on 41.7% shooting from the floor and 11.8% shooting from beyond the arc, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season. The stacked Dream team are one of the favorites to contend for the WNBA title this season.
