The Atlanta Dream clinched a playoff berth on August 22, but another highlight of the night was Dream forward Angel Reese’s personal career milestone. As the Dream pushed to a 99-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury, Reese bagged a career-high of 31 points, and the basketball world erupted in praise.
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The WNBA made a celebratory post on X in honor of Reese’s achievement, applauding the Louisiana State University alum for her incredible performance, which pushed the Dream to a confirmed spot in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. The post featured an image of the Dream with Angel Reese at the forefront, and the word “Clinched” across the front.
The Dream’s latest win against the Mercury (sans Kelsey Plum, who is out with a left leg injury) puts them in fourth in the league standings. Their record of 24-13 puts them ahead of the Indiana Fever (24-14), where Reese’s rival is averaging 21.7 points. Reese’s 31-point explosive performance has put her ahead of Clark’s team, and the praise did not end with the WNBA.
The official NBA account also took to X to express its appreciation for Reese and the team, congratulating the Dream for securing a playoff berth this season. espnW was not far behind, posting about Angel Reese’s career milestones as she makes it to her first postseason appearance.
“Atlanta Barbie makes franchise history 🤩”
The espnW post was focused on Reese becoming the first Dream player to record ten games with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a single WNBA season. The game against the Mercury saw Reese record her 25th double-double for the 2026 season. The Dream forward had an incredible night against the Mercury, not only recording her career-high in points, but also leading her team in rebounds with 14. She also put up two assists and four steals. Reese shot with 66.7% accuracy in the paint but didn’t manage to make any three-pointers.
Angel Reese wasn’t the only one pushing the Dream to the playoffs. Rhyne Howard was another high-volume scorer against the Mercury, adding 20 points to the Dream’s score. She also recorded five assists, one of them going to Reese’s 2-point layup in the first quarter. Allisha Gray also added 17 points and five rebounds, providing four assists for the team.
Turnovers were another plus for the Dream as they recorded only eight, yielding seven points to the Mercury. In contrast, the Mercury gave up 16 turnovers, allowing the Dream to score 18 points, providing a significant boost to their final score. But Angel Reese’s career-best score was still not the highest recorded in the game.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper recorded 38 points in the 37 minutes that she played, shooting with 61.9% accuracy from inside the paint and 42.9% from beyond the arc. She was backed up by DeWanna Bonner’s 12 points and Alyssa Thomas’ 11 points, but none of it was enough to overcome the Dream, who extended their winning streak to three.
The Dream will not look to further extend their streak, as they face the Los Angeles Sparks on August 24. The Sparks, who have lost Kelsey Plum to the Mercury earlier this season, hold a record of 13-24 and won their last game against the Connecticut Sun after a six-game skid.