Saturday marked a special day for Angel Reese. On a night when she played the best game of her WNBA career, the Atlanta Dream also qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season after a win over the Phoenix Mercury. But Reese has bigger dreams than just qualifying for the postseason. She has her eyes on the ultimate prize.

“I want more than just playing in the playoffs, first round, second round,” Reese told reporters after the win on Saturday, per a post by Yahoo Sports on X. “I want to walk away as a champ. That’s why I came to Atlanta.”

The WNBA star played her first two seasons for the Chicago Sky after being drafted by the team in 2024. Despite her historic performances, the Sky failed to qualify for the playoffs.

This will be Reese’s first playoff appearance when the postseason begins in the last week of Sept.

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Reese played the best game of her career on a night when the Dream desperately needed a win. She scored a career-high 31 points along with 14 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals in 35 minutes.

It was a team effort from the Dream. They had four of their players scoring in double digits in response to Kahleah Copper’s 38-point game. Rhyne Howard added 20 points. Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada contributed with 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Atlanta has been playing excellent basketball lately, and according to Reese, her team is peaking at the right time.

“We’ve been through a lot. And I think that’s why we’re so tough right now because you don’t want to peak too early, and we’re right where we want to be right now,” Reese said, per Wilton C. Jackson II on X.

The Dream have been one of the top teams in the league since the start of the season. However, their schedule hasn’t been without struggles. In late June and early July, they dropped multiple games in a tough stretch, including back-to-back losses to the Valkyries, who hold the second-best record in the league.

However, the starting lineup of Reese, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Jordin Canada has been able to stabilize their season with just seven games remaining in the season.

Moreover, the win over the Mercury marked their third straight win for Atlanta of their four-game West Coast games. They have a chance to go 4-0 when they face the LA Sparks in their next game on Monday.