Some games are about the final score. Others are about the stories surrounding them. Tuesday night’s Commissioner’s Cup clash between the Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun firmly belonged in the second category.

All eyes were on Brittney Griner as she returned to face the franchise that moved on from her just a year ago. For nearly three quarters, the contest lived up to the occasion, with neither side able to create much separation. But when the game entered its decisive stretch, it was Griner’s replacement in Atlanta, Angel Reese, who stole the spotlight.

With just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Sun were leading the game by four points. To overcome that, Atlanta needed a spark, and Reese provided that. The 24-year-old received a pass from Jordin Canada, and she confidently launched a shot from beyond the arc to cut Connecticut’s lead to 65-64, which immediately energized both the crowd and her teammates.

So when head coach Karl Smesko was asked about this moment in the post-game interview, he pointed to it as one of the biggest turning points of the game.

“I did think it was a momentum changer,” he said, as per Wilton C. Jackson II on X. “I thought the crowd loved it, team loved it, I loved it. So I do think it was a big shot. I’ll have to watch it and break it down on film, but it looked like a really good release, like the release we’ve been working on.”

With her three, the Dream went on a 7-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a three-point lead as the buzzer for the third quarter went off. The run eventually stretched to 10-0 early in the fourth quarter, giving Atlanta a 71-65 lead with seven minutes remaining.

Reese played a huge role in the surge, scoring or assisting on eight of the team’s 10 points. From there, the Dream never looked back and cruised to a 91-75 win.

“She’s been really open to kind of changing her shot, and it’s shown up in practice. She’s gotten hot, make three or four in a row in practice. But in the game, we haven’t had those same releases that we’ve had in practice. But today, that one looked like a good one, right out of her hands. It looked like it was in, and it was in. Hopefully, going forward, as she gets more comfortable with the new shot, it’ll show up in games more,” he further added.

See, before Tuesday night, the Dream had played seven games this season. In all of them, Angel Reese attempted eight three-pointers and missed all of them. So this was her first made three-pointer ever since she arrived in Atlanta following the blockbuster trade that sent her from Chicago to the Dream.

But let’s put why this shot is breaking the headlines in perspective a little better. Shooting from beyond the arc has never been a major part of Reese’s game. Across her first two WNBA seasons, she made just seven shots from the three-point line in 64 appearances.

So you can understand now why Tuesday’s moment generated so much excitement both on the court and on the Dream bench. But if that wasn’t enough, this also carried a little extra significance.

With that three-pointer, Reese scored the 1,000th point of her WNBA career. The Dream star finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists to record another double-double, while also adding a few more milestones to her name. 

As per Real App on X, Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. She is also averaging a record 5.6 offensive rebounds per game this season, the highest average the league has ever seen.

When Reese joined the Dream, she made it clear that Karl Smesko’s track record of developing players was one of the biggest reasons behind her decision. “I was just seeing how the player development was for (Karl Smesko) and how he developed Naz (Hillmon) in one year and how I wanted that,” she said. 

Now that we know Smesko and the rest of Atlanta’s coaching staff are actively helping Reese develop her three-point shot, her decision to join Atlanta is starting to make even more sense.

However, the most important takeaway from this game is that if Angel Reese can continue developing confidence in her outside shot, it could unlock another dimension of an already dangerous Dream roster. Atlanta opened the 2026 WNBA season with a strong 6-2 record and features one of the league’s most balanced offenses. So adding a reliable perimeter threat would just make this team even more difficult to defend.

What’s next for Angel Reese and the Dream?

The Dream do not have much time to celebrate.

Atlanta will now turn its attention to June 4, where they will face off against the Indiana Fever in what is expected to be one of the most-watched games of the week. Why? Because this matchup will once again put Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark on the same court to renew a rivalry that has generated headlines ever since their college days.

While the Fever remain one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams with Clark leading the way, Indiana has struggled to find consistency on the defensive end. They have allowed their opponents to score at a high rate throughout the season (89 points per game) and have also shown issues while protecting the paint.

That could create opportunities for a player like Reese. The forward is averaging a double-double and continues to be one of the league’s most dominant rebounders. So if Indiana’s interior defense struggles persist, she could find herself in position for another productive night.

Of course, slowing down Clark remains one of the toughest challenges in the WNBA, as she is capable of changing a game with her scoring and playmaking at any moment. That’s why Atlanta cannot afford to overlook Indiana despite its issues.

Who will win the game will remain the question until the final minutes of the June 4 game. But one thing is certain: Angel Reese & Co. will enter the upcoming matchup with momentum on their side.