Angel Reese was the driving force behind the Atlanta Dream’s two finals wins. She recorded 30 points along with 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks as she willed the Dream to a big Game 2 victory in Ballhalla. She followed that up with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in Game 3. 

Game 4 was a very different story. Reese struggled mightily, finishing the Dream’s 62-67 loss with 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. She shot 2-for-12 from the field and turned the ball over six times. 

Reese was not the only one with a rough shooting game. Allisha Gray and DeWanna Bonner both made just one shot, and Jordin Canada missed all of her three 3-point attempts. But Reese’s tough game stood out more because she had been the driving force behind the Dream’s success recently. 

Reese knows that, too, and is determined to be better in Game 5. 

“I didn’t take my time finishing around the basket like I’ve been doing in the last two games, and it happens, and I’m just looking forward to the next game, and I’ll just be better,” Reese said in the postgame media availability, per a livestream on the WNBA’s YouTube channel. 

She will have to be if the Dream want to close out the series with the franchise’s first championship. 

Reese Is the Head of the Snake for the Dream

After the last two games, it became very clear that the Valkyries would have to figure out how to limit Reese if they wanted to get back in the series. 

“She’s been the head of their snake all series, so for me it was just trying to make every look that she had at the basket difficult,” Kiah Stokes said in the postgame media availability. “It’s a tough job but being our best defensive big, I gotta own up to that challenge.”

Stokes may not have been able to contain Reese in Games 2 and 3, but she did a great job in Game 4, once again proving her value as a defensive anchor. She now owns the league record for most blocks in a finals series with 14—and the series is far from over. 

The battle between Stokes and Reese will be one of the deciding factors of the series. If Stokes can continue to limit Reese, the Valkyries stand a pretty good chance. Reese getting back to how she played in Games 2 and 3 is exactly what the Dream need to bounce back from such a disappointing loss. The disappointment is only amplified by the fact that the Dream were just a few made shots away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead and needing just one more win to win the series.