In a Commissioner’s Cup game on Thursday, Angel Reese opened her season with the Atlanta Dream against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, but the Dream fell 83-71. Even in the loss, Reese produced another standout performance—her sixth double-double in nine
Angel Reese stepped onto the floor for her first meeting of the season with the Atlanta Dream against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday. and the matchup came with a built-in sense of pressure. The Dream had the better record and the spot in the standings. but Clark and Indiana answered with a decisive 83-71 win.
Reese couldn’t change the outcome, yet she left a mark anyway. She recorded her sixth double-double in nine games, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Her line also included three assists and two blocks.
For weeks, Clark has kept drawing attention for her role in helping grow the league. Reese, too, has been making real contributions—only her impact has been showing up in different ways. In just her first nine games with Atlanta. she reached a franchise milestone that is already being treated as a turning point in her time there: becoming the fastest player in Atlanta Dream history to reach 100 points and 100 rebounds.
ESPN Insights pointed to her “immediate impact with the Dream” in a Thursday evening post. and the milestone itself landed the same way—quickly and loudly. Reese’s production has put her on a path that could stretch further this season. with her career already over 1. 000 points. Depending on how she performs in Atlanta, she is on pace to reach her 1,000th rebound.
It’s not just the pace that has drawn attention. Reese is also leading the WNBA in rebounds this season, averaging 11.3 boards per game. Last month, she grabbed 16 rebounds against the Dallas Wings, the most so far during her Dream tenure. She’s capable of even bigger nights too; in the past with the Chicago Sky, she produced multiple 20-rebound games. Her career high remains a 22-rebound performance from August 2024 against the Las Vegas Aces.
The story behind the move to Atlanta hasn’t been quiet either. Reese previously starred for two seasons with the Chicago Sky, but the end of last season turned tense. She made controversial remarks calling out the team and her teammates. which led to a brief half-game suspension and. ultimately. her trade to Atlanta this offseason.
So far, the Dream have looked like a stable place for her to reset—and to build momentum. Before Thursday’s loss, Atlanta entered the game with the Eastern Conference’s best record at 6-3. Even after the Fever win, the Dream remain on top of the conference.
All of it sets up what comes next for Reese and Atlanta. The Dream will play the Washington Mystics at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.
And while the scoreboard on Thursday wasn’t what Reese wanted, her early season run suggests she’s still doing what she always does best—finding the glass, stacking rebounds, and pushing her team forward, even when the game’s final result slips away.
Angel Reese Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever Caitlin Clark Commissioner's Cup WNBA double-double rebounds franchise record