Angel Reese is one of the young superstars of the WNBA, and with that attention comes a mountain of scrutiny.
The contrived criticism piled on Reese should have evaporated on Sunday as she demonstrated why so much is asked of her. Reese had a complete game, registering her first-ever triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. She’s the second-youngest player to record a triple-double in league history.
The performance was applauded, but the win for Chicago was so necessary. The Sky had lost three-straight games and needed to end that streak. By beating the Sun 78-66, they demonstrated a path toward success, where Reese is a triple threat and even more of an offensive hub for the team, thanks to her passing and scoring ability.
Marina Mabrey had a solid game for the Sun, scoring 22 points. Tina Charles also had 19 points in the loss, but Connecticut got next to nothing from their bench. The Sun reserves mustered up just two points on Sunday.
A Dream domination
The Atlanta Dream continue to play well, having won seven of their last eight games. They added another victory to their record by beating the Washington Mystics 89-56.
Washington had no chance against Atlanta as they dominated the game from start to finish. Allisha Gray scored a game-high and career-high 32 points, and Rhyne Howard added 14 points. Howard converted on four 3-pointers, which put her at over 300 for her career. She is now the fastest player in WNBA history to reach that mark.
The Mystics couldn’t get anything going offensively as Sonia Citron was the only player in double digits, and she barely reached that number, scoring exactly 10 points.
The Dream remain in contention for the Eastern Conference’s spot in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game, although they’ll likely have to beat the league-leading New York Liberty to make it happen.
Full-strength Phoenix squeaks past A’ja-less Aces
For the final game on Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury squeaked out a 76-70 win over the Las Vegas Aces. It was a tight game throughout, but Phoenix had a six-point lead in the fourth quarter and held onto it for the remainder of the final period, essentially exchanging baskets with Las Vegas the rest of the way.
Satou Sabally had a game-high 22 points for the Mercury, and Sami Whitcomb was huge off the bench with 18.
For the Aces, Chelsea Gray was stellar with 20 points, but the Las Vegas frontcourt players struggled to contribute offensively, while Phoenix’s bigs feasted inside. It’s important to note that A’ja Wilson was ruled out for this game as she’s still undergoing concussion protocols. Had she been available, Wilson would have greatly improved Las Vegas’ odds of coming away with a win in this game.
