Angel Reese said the Atlanta Dream’s 109-77 rout of the Washington Mystics came after a “look in the mirror” following a brutal 71-point loss to the Indiana Fever, with Reese starring for Atlanta in a game paced by defense, ball movement, and a deep bench.
COLLEGE PARK — Angel Reese didn’t need a long speech after the Atlanta Dream’s 109-77 win over the Washington Mystics. She framed it the way the best teams do when they’re trying to erase the memory of a bad night: go home, protect your house, and fix what broke.
The Dream arrived at game time carrying the sting of one of their worst offensive outings of the season against the Indiana Fever. when they managed only 71 points. In this one. they looked like a team that had taken that performance personally. scoring early and often while the Mystics couldn’t find an answer. From top to bottom, Atlanta was clicking, and Washington never got comfortable.
Reese led the way with 18 points and 17 rebounds, adding four steals in the process. She also made it clear the bounce-back wasn’t just about execution—it was about reflection.
“You just come back home, and you protect your house,” Reese said after the game. “You don’t want anybody to come into your house and beat you in your house. Obviously, we don’t like to lose, and the way we lost wasn’t something that we wanted. It was for us all to come together and try to find ways to be better.
“I think everybody took a look in the mirror last game and figured out how we can individually be better for the team, and I think we came on to that tonight.”
Atlanta’s bench carried major weight as well, finishing with 40 points and contributing across the board. Madina Okot led the second unit with 11 points and five rebounds. Isobel Borlase added nine points and posted a +27 while on the court.
Karl Smesko put the emphasis back on what the group actually did—moving the ball, attacking space, and sharing it when shots weren’t there.
“We executed what we said we wanted to from the game plan,” Smesko said. “The ball moved; it got to open people. we attacked space. and when we didn’t have a good shot. we passed it to somebody else. and in fact. sometimes I thought we were too unselfish. Just because I thought we passed up some good looks. but the whole point was to move it to the open teammate. and I think our team did exactly that today.”.
If Atlanta’s offense set the tempo, the defense made the separation feel permanent—especially in the third quarter. The Dream finished with 16 steals, and eight of them came in that stretch. Reese had four steals during the night.
Reese also tied that defensive surge to the lessons from the Fever game, pointing to emphasis on pressure and transition defense.
“I think we just wanted to be better from last game. just making sure we emphasize on-the-ball pressure. making sure we give ourselves extra opportunities. ” Reese said. “I think we also struggled with transition [defense] last game, too. I think Rhyne [Howard] did a great job of making this her career high for steals. She sets the tone every single night. …I think our defense is our identity. We just continue to go off of that.”.
Atlanta’s ball pressure paid off in a very specific way: the Dream scored 26 points off the Mystics’ 17 turnovers. Smesko described it as the kind of basketball that happens when execution and belief line up.
“We made plays, we got it, and we got out in transition, took advantage of the numbers, got the ball to the open person, and today, we also shot a good percentage, especially from three, so that makes a big difference too,” Smesko said.
The team’s patience on offense stood out, too. Smesko said the Dream worked harder to create good looks instead of forcing them.
“Today we had a little more patience working to get open, and if it wasn’t there, we waited for somebody to get open to move the ball and then get into the next action. I thought that was a real growth moment for us,” Smesko said.
With the win, the Dream put their worst offensive night of the season behind them and showed the version of themselves they’ve been trying to build—one that plays with bounce on both sides of the ball. They will be back in action on Tuesday against the Chicago Sky.
Atlanta Dream Washington Mystics Angel Reese Karl Smesko Rhyne Howard Madina Okot Isobel Borlase WNBA 109-77 Mystics vs Dream