Angel Reese scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Atlanta Dream clinched a playoff berth with a 99-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night.
Reese’s performance marked her 25th double-double of the season. According to the AP report, her previous career high for points was 27 when she was a rookie with the Chicago Sky in 2024. She was 14 of 21 from the field, following a 9-of-9 shooting performance in her previous game. Reese has set the Atlanta single-season record for double-doubles and is three shy of the league record.
Rhyne Howard contributed 20 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Dream, while Allisha Gray added 17 points and Jordin Canada scored 12. The Dream led 14-3 less than four minutes into the game, 29-18 after one quarter, and 50-35 at halftime. Atlanta improved to 24-13 with the win and has won five of their last six games.
The victory moved the Dream a half-game ahead of Indiana for the fourth seed, with seven games remaining in the regular season.
For Phoenix, Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 38 points, though her strong individual performance was not enough to prevent elimination from playoff contention. Alyssa Thomas recorded her 22nd regular-season triple-double with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, adding to her six playoff triple-doubles. DeWanna Bonner scored 12 points.
The Mercury made a strong third-quarter push, with Copper scoring 17 points in that period and Phoenix making 13 of 22 shots. The team cut the Dream’s lead to just one point before Atlanta established a 73-68 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Phoenix had made only 10 of 29 shots in the first half.
The loss eliminated the Mercury from playoff consideration despite reaching the WNBA Finals the previous season. According to the AP, the Mercury finished the regular season at 13-24.
Key facts
- Angel Reese scored a career-high 31 points with 14 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season
- The Atlanta Dream clinched a playoff berth with a 99-89 win over Phoenix
- The Dream moved a half-game ahead of Indiana for the fourth seed with seven games remaining
- Kahleah Copper scored 38 points for the Mercury but could not prevent their elimination from playoff contention
- Reese has set the Atlanta single-season record for double-doubles and is three shy of the league record