Angel Reese gave the Atlanta Dream a history-making night Monday, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds in a 107-95 win over the Toronto Tempo. Her 22nd double-double broke the Dream's single-season record and came with a steal, a block and another reminder that her production has become the center of Atlanta's climb.
The numbers were efficient, too. Reese shot 7-of-14 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep while Atlanta improved to 20-12 and moved into fifth place in the WNBA standings. The Dream have won seven of their last nine games, and the result also left them tied with the Indiana Fever for fourth place, which is why this performance landed with more weight than a normal box score would suggest.
Reese's 22 double-doubles are still six short of the WNBA single-season record of 28, and she has 12 games left to make up that ground. That chase is now the next number to watch, especially after she turned a record night into a win that kept Atlanta moving.
She did not do it alone. Rhyne Howard scored 22 points and had seven assists, Jordin Canada added 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Allisha Gray scored 15 points for the Dream. On the other side, Marina Mabrey poured in a game-high 36 points for Toronto, but the Tempo still dropped to 10-22, a sign that a big scoring night can still be swallowed by a deeper team performance.
The Dream will play the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, and Reese will bring the record with her. The only question that really matters now is whether 22 was the milestone that defined her season, or just the point where the chase got serious.
