Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese has delivered five double-doubles in her last six games, a trend she will look to continue in Sunday’s visit to the expansion Toronto Tempo.
Reese is averaging 14.6 points and 11.9 rebounds in her first season with Atlanta. The two-time All-Star scored a season-high 25 points on Thursday against the New York Liberty, which was not enough to avoid a 104-90 loss.
“(Stats) don’t matter unless you win,” Reese said after the game. “It’s frustrating because I think I could have done better, especially at the free-throw line, and also in ball screens. I’ll look back at the film and clean up on it.”
Reese and the Dream (8-4) will try to get back on track in Canada in a Commissioner’s Cup game against the Tempo (7-6).
Atlanta is 3-2 in the competition, while the Tempo are 2-2 after a gut-wrenching 86-85 loss to the Washington Mystics on the road on Friday. Toronto lost on a last-second shot by Sonia Citron.
If there is one thing about the Tempo, however, they are resilient. They are 4-1 after a loss this season.
“They are great players. They aren’t going to give up,” Toronto coach Sandy Brondello said. “Things might not go well, but they can stay in the moment. They can change quickly and have a reset and play hard.”
Toronto and Atlanta are both 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Allisha Gray leads the Dream in scoring at 19.1 points per game. Rhyne Howard ranks second (18.5) and became the youngest in WNBA history to hit 400 3-pointers, achieving the milestone at age 26 on Thursday. Reese ranks third on Atlanta in scoring and leads the league in rebounding.
Brittney Sykes leads the Tempo, averaging 21.5 points per outing, Marina Mabrey averages 18.6 points and 3.5 assists. Mabrey scored 27 in the loss to Washington, and Sykes added 20.
–Field Level Media
