Angel Reese made her first regular-season trip back to Wintrust Arena a memorable one, posting 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Dream past the Chicago Sky 82-75 on Tuesday night in a Commissioner’s Cup showdown that was far closer than the final margin suggests.
Reese, who was traded to Atlanta in April after two seasons in Chicago, downplayed the reunion afterward — “It was just another basketball game,” she said — but the performance spoke otherwise. Her 17 rebounds were more than the Sky’s entire starting five combined, and she grabbed five offensive boards to keep Atlanta possessions alive at critical moments. The effort extended her streak to four consecutive games with a double-double, pushed her to eight on the season, and gave her 57 career double-doubles in 75 WNBA games — the most by any player through that point in league history.
While Reese’s homecoming grabbed the headlines, Rhyne Howard quietly authored a historic night of her own. Howard matched Reese with 17 points and in the process eclipsed 2,500 career points, becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 2,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, 200 steals, and 100 blocks. She also added five assists and three steals, doing damage in every phase of the game even on a night when she misfired from three-point range, going just 1-of-10 from deep.
The win was far from a comfortable one. Chicago led by as many as six in the second half, and the game featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties. The Sky took a 58-57 lead into the fourth quarter behind a strong bench performance from Natasha Cloud, who finished with 18 points, and Skylar Diggins, who added 17. The game appeared to be slipping away from Atlanta when a Diggins floater cut the Dream’s lead to four with under two minutes to play — but officials reviewed the play and ruled it an offensive foul on Diggins for catching Canada in the face with her elbow. The basket was wiped out, Atlanta’s six-point lead was restored, and Allisha Gray followed with a layup off an Reese offensive rebound to effectively seal it.
All five Dream starters reached double figures, which has become a calling card of this team. Naz Hillmon posted a season-high 16 points on 50 percent shooting, including three made threes. Jordin Canada added 14 points and six assists running the show from the point. Gray, held to just two points in the first half, recovered to finish with 14. The Dream shot 93.8 percent from the free-throw line, going 15-of-16, and outshot Chicago from three-point range despite Howard’s off night.
For Chicago, Kamilla Cardoso did her best to match Reese inside — finishing with 13 points, five assists, and four blocks — but was held to just two rebounds on a night when Reese was an unstoppable force on the glass. The Sky’s inability to stop Atlanta’s fourth-quarter surge proved decisive. “You don’t win a lot of games when you shoot under 20% from three and your opponent shoots over 50%,” Dream coach Nicki Smesko said.
Atlanta improved to 8-3 overall and moved to 3-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, maintaining their grip on the top of the Eastern Conference. The Dream return home Thursday to host the New York Liberty. Chicago, now 4-8 and still searching for consistency without injured forward Temi Fagbenle-Jackson, heads to Indiana to face the Fever on Thursday.
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