The league leader in double-doubles, Angel Reese, registered her 17th double-double of the season on Friday against the Toronto Tempo. While her 23-point performance helped the Dream win their second game in a row, beating the Tempo 111-92, Reese became part of the highlight hard contact of the game. A fourth-quarter sequence resulted in hard contact that sent Toronto’s Nyara Sabally out of the game.

The play occurred with just over three minutes left in the game. Reese was driving near the paint while Sabally was looking to defend her when they made contact, and Sabally went down clutching her stomach. The Toronto players quickly circled Sabally on the floor and shielded her with the towels as the medical team attended to her.

@TimeOutSportS3 shared a glimpse of this entire moment on X, showcasing the tense situation. Eventually, Sabally was able to walk off the court with some help and was forced to retire to the locker room.

Toronto head coach Sandy Brondello confirmed after the game that Sabally sustained a rib injury after that play with Reese. However, Brondello didn’t have any information about how serious the injury was.

“That was a hard hit. She’s not feeling great at the moment, just hurt her ribs. We don’t know what that is at the moment… Hopefully it’s nothing too serious,” Brondello said in the post-game presser.

Before Nyara Sabally was forced to leave the game, she logged 21 minutes off the bench. She scored an impressive 16 points while shooting 7-for-10 from the field. Sabally’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse point for Toronto, both from a game and a season’s perspective.

When Nyara Sabally left the game, the Atlanta Dream were undoubtedly on the advantageous side with a 12-point lead. With Sabally and Marina Mabrey in the rotation, Toronto might have narrowed that gap. But instead, they folded even more in those dying minutes to a relentless Atlanta offense.

Toronto Tempo is already dealing with injuries to key players like Brittney Sykes (left foot) and Kiki Rice (left ankle). Sabally’s addition to this list just adds to their concerns about depth.

While Reese picked up a common foul, the Atlanta Dream’s players had massive success, with Reese shining alongside her teammates on the court.

Atlanta HC Karl Smesko Heaps Praise on Angel Reese for Another 20+ Scoring Night

Angel Reese dominated the scoring board yet again with a double-double, including 23 points and 12 rebounds. Naz Hilmon led the night with 24 points while Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada both added 18 each. Reese, however, stole the spotlight with yet another dominant scoring night with 7 of 11 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Reese banked on efficiency in the entire game across the Toronto Tempo. Be it scoring from the field or scoring from the line, the Bayou Barbie didn’t miss a beat. Even on the defensive scheme of things, Reese contributed with three steals in the game. Head coach Karl Smesko highlighted this versatility specifically after the game.

“Angel scored in a variety of ways too, getting to the foul line, put-backs, drives, and even good offensive moves in the short corner area,” Smesko said in the post-game presser. “So, it was good to see that she was able to show a lot of versatility in how she does things and just really good performance by each of them.”

Statistically, Angel Reese is having one of the best offensive performances of her career. She is averaging a career-high 15.7 points per game for Atlanta. This complete performance against Toronto was just another testament to it.

With this win, the Atlanta Dream are now on a two-game winning streak after losing 6 in the last 7 before that. Reese and team now face the Chicago Sky on July 19 at the Gateway Center.