Angel Reese was hungry.
The Atlanta Dream superstar wasn't satisfied at all with how Game 1 of the WNBA Finals unfolded. She told USA Today that she "let the team down" in a 68-64 defeat to the Golden State Valkyries, and the Dream "let one slip away" on Saturday.
The response on Monday was forceful, and Dream head coach Karl Smesko only needed one look to know Reese would deliver a "superior performance" in Game 2.
”Going into the locker room, the first person I made eye contact with was Angel, and I'm like, ‘Oh I like this look. I like this look,’” Smesko said Monday night. “She was just fantastic, on both ends of the floor. Just a superior performance.”
MORE: Dream's Angel Reese is on pace to set Finals mark not seen since Shaquille O'Neal
Reese dropped 30 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2 as the Dream evened up the Finals at one win apiece. It came after Reese was stymied in the second half of Game 1, when she scored zero points in the second half as the Valkyries rallied for a stirring 68-64 win.
“Going into the locker room, the first person I made eye contact with was Angel, and I'm like, ‘Oh I like this look. I like this look.’” Angel Reese was on a mission in Game 2. She wasn’t going back to Atlanta without a W. ✍🏾: @Callie__Fin has more. https://t.co/miMfWgoLRG
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) October 20, 2026Reese immediately took ownership for a lack of aggressiveness down the stretch of the Dream's first Finals game in 13 years. Her response was historic: she became the youngest player to record a 20-10 game in the Finals, and only the third in WNBA history to put 30 points and 15 boards in a Finals game.
“She's going to be the youngest to set a lot of these records with just how good of a player she is and still being in her third season,” Rhyne Howard said following Game 2. “Seeing her come out tonight, she had a completely different mindset. Nobody was satisfied with the outcome of Game 1. She came out and she really set the tone and we followed her lead.”
this them realizing in real time they got a psycho on their team 😭 https://t.co/4zMQCAUAWJ
— M ⁵ ATL BARBIE (@moooopal) October 20, 2026The Dream led 39-37 at halftime of Game 2, and it appeared as if it would be another tight contest that would go down to the wire. Instead, Reese scored 15 points in the second half as the Atlanta defense settled in around her: Golden State scored only 28 points after halftime and shot only 34 percent for the game.
In addition, the Dream turned over the Valkyries 18 times and scored 24 points off those turnovers. Atlanta got out in transition and scored 19 fast-break points; Golden State scored zero.
Reese's refusal to lose rubbed off on her teammates, and it might have just shifted the Finals in Atlanta's favor.
"Angel is such a generational talent, just to see her thrive in the Finals has been really special to watch," point guard Jordin Canada said. "You can just see that she wants it really bad. We feed off her energy."
