Angel Reese hit a huge three-pointer with just over three minutes left in a tie game, and then she let a courtside fan hear about it. The Atlanta Dream beat the Los Angeles Sparks 101-92 on Monday night, and the win was basically decided after Reese caught a pass from Jordin Canada in the corner, watched the ball roll around the rim a few times, and then watched it drop.
Reese immediately turned toward a guy sitting near the sideline and started pointing at him, yelling after every Dream basket the rest of the way. After the game, someone asked her what that was about. She didn’t hesitate.
“It was somebody talking s–t on the sideline,” Reese said.
The Dream had led most of the game but went cold in the fourth quarter, and the Sparks crawled back to tie it up. Atlanta had only made one field goal in the entire quarter before Reese let it fly. That shot opened the floodgates. The Dream started hitting everything, and Reese kept finding that fan after every one.
The shot Reese has been working on
That corner three wasn’t a lucky one-off. Reese has been grinding on that shot since training camp. Dream coach Karl Smesko works with her before every single game on her form and follow-through, and teammates notice.
“She works on that every single day after practice, before practice,” Allisha Gray said. “People really, really don’t see the type of work that she puts in. Like, she’s a superstar, but a very unselfish superstar.”
Smesko said it was exactly the kind of moment you hope for when a player puts in months of work.
“She’s definitely been working on it since training camp. She’s improved a good deal. It looked like a really good release on that one where she got her follow-through the way she wanted to do it,” Smesko said. “To do it with a tie game late in the fourth quarter to be the one that you really get that you’ve been working on for months to help you win a game, that was definitely a fun moment for everybody.”
What this win means for Atlanta
The Dream had been in a shooting slump for a few games. Against the Sparks, they shot 50% from the field and got above 30% from three for the first time in a while. Smesko acknowledged it’s not where they want to be yet — they’re aiming for 36 to 40% from deep — but it’s a step forward as the All-Star break approaches.
“Every team in the league is looking to get better right now,” Smesko said. “Whoever gets the most improvements over the second half of the season is going to have a real advantage going into the playoffs.”
Reese finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The three she hit late was only her second of the game, but it was the one that mattered. And that fan in the front row probably won’t forget it anytime soon.
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