Angel Reese Leads Dream Past Liberty Toward WNBA Finals

Angel Reese powered the Atlanta Dream to a 101-98 overtime victory over the New York Liberty on Wednesday, giving Atlanta a 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals and moving the team one win from its first Finals appearance since 2013. Reese scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

According to ESPN, Reese delivered her playoff career high while making a key late-game decision that helped Atlanta protect its overtime lead. She scored six of the Dream's 13 overtime points and made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left after Sabrina Ionescu's errant pass.

The Dream's win came despite the absence of Allisha Gray because of a left hand injury. Jordin Canada added 23 points and eight assists, while Naz Hillmon scored the go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds remaining in overtime, according to The Guardian.

DeWanna Bonner highlighted Reese's impact beyond the scoring totals after the game. The veteran forward said Reese's defensive effort and intensity have become central to Atlanta's identity.

"She's the motor. Her defensive presence is unmatched. She brings the toughness.

She brings the umph. As long as she's out there, we see her go hard, it's like, 'Man, I want to dive on the floor for a ball.' That's rare.

That's kind of hard to find ... we feed off her, and she gets us going every single game," Bonner said.

Reese said Atlanta's roster environment has helped her continue developing after joining the Dream from the Chicago Sky. ESPN reported that she arrived in Atlanta alongside established players including Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada.

"When you play with great players, they push you every single day to your potential, maybe even more. And I'm just so grateful for my teammates. I'm grateful for my coaches every single day.

We have fun, we have hard conversations. They love on me, and they're just there for me all the time. I'm just really thankful for it because you don't really get the opportunity always.

I haven't had that in a while, and being able to be here in Atlanta, I'm just really grateful to have sisters in the locker room that really, really genuinely care and love me," Reese said.

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko credited Reese's influence during the Dream's playoff run. Reese had already won Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounding for the third consecutive season with 12.1 rebounds per game, according to ESPN.

"Angel is definitely a huge part of what we do, and her energy is contagious," Smesko said.

Reese also discussed the pressure of the postseason after helping the United States win a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. She said Atlanta approached each playoff game with a win-or-go-home mentality.

"That 1-1-1 [format] is scary, I'm not gonna lie," Reese said.

She added that previous high-pressure experiences helped prepare her for the WNBA playoffs.

"I have been in experiences where it's win or go home, and that's kind of how I'm treating every game in the playoffs. I don't want to rely on five games. I want to be able to win, win, win, win and then move on to the next round," Reese said.

Rhyne Howard, who also played with Reese on Team USA, said the forward's competitive background has benefited Atlanta during its postseason push.

"This may be her first playoffs, but I told her she's a championship player. On all of her other levels, she's done this, and she has that experience that some of us don't have, and so we're also leaning on her. She's been that dog for us all season," Howard said.