Angel Reese has had a rough couple of days. She’s been relentlessly clowned on for her subpar performance against the Fever the other night.
But the Atlanta Dream forward bounced back impressively against one of the league’s best on Tuesday night. In the decisive 97-82 win against the Las Vegas Aces, Reese played a major role on both ends of the floor.
Angel Reese’s Brilliant Showing vs. the Aces Draws Praise Across WNBA Community
Reese had missed a slew of layups against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana. This included the potential game-winning layup at point-blank range with less than four seconds in regulation that could’ve put the Dream up by two.
Instead, the game went into OT, and Atlanta lost 95-91, with Reese going 5-for-16 from the field, and many WNBA fans blamed her for the loss.
Fast-forward to Tuesday against A’ja Wilson and the Aces, and Reese had herself a game. The three-time All-Star dropped 21 points on 6-13 shooting from the field and recorded 10 rebounds and 4 steals.
Reese did all of this while switching onto the Aces’ scoring wings.
Wilson might’ve scored a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds, but on a modest efficiency by her standards, going 7-18 from the floor.
“She owns A’ja,” one user bluntly claimed when talking about the Wilson-Reese matchup from tonight.
Another praised Reese’s defensive prowess, saying, “DPOY performance,” and followed up with a couple of ‘praise hand’ emojis.
“She should be the front runner for DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR!!!!!!”another user wrote, echoing the sentiment.
“Notice how most of the big ‘sports’ pages aren’t posting this but were quick to post her slump lol,” said another fan, pointing to the hate Reese received for her performance against the Fever.
Reese’s double-double tonight earned her the Albert Player of the Game. After winning this honor, she took to her post-game presser to address the win as well as her offensive blunder from the last game vs. the Fever.
“Last game was very tough for me. I didn’t sleep,”Reese admitted. “I replay that play so many times. And I’m like, why would I let that moment dictate everything else that I have going on that’s positive?”
Atlanta, boasting a DRTG of 104.8, is trying to surge up the standings as the regular season enters its final stretch. If Reese and company can continue to lock down offensive juggernauts such as the Aces, they will prove to be a tough out in the East.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.