Angel Reese Makes Blunt Admission After Rough WNBA Finals Game 4

Angel Reese went 2-of-12 from the field Saturday, and the Atlanta Dream lost Game 4 of the WNBA Finals to the Golden State Valkyries 67-62. The series is tied 2-2.

She scored 8 points and added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in 34:05. The blocks tied her playoff career high.

Reese averaged 21.7 points across the first three games of the series and held Saturday against how she had finished around the basket in them.

“I think it was me,” Reese said. “I think I rushed a lot of my shots, and I didn’t take my time and finish around the basket like I’ve been doing in the last three games. And it happens, and I’m just looking forward to the next game, and I’ll just be better.”

In the Dream’s 79-65 win in Game 2 at Chase Center, Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds. She became the youngest player with at least 30 points and 16 rebounds in a WNBA playoff game.

Three days later, she had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals in a 97-71 win in Game 3, then laid out the mindset behind Atlanta’s 2-1 series lead.

Kiah Stokes blocked 3 more shots Saturday and has 14 in the series, a Finals record.

Reese saw nothing different from her.

“She’s been [guarding] me in the whole playoffs, or the whole Finals, so it wasn’t anything different,” Reese explained. “I just felt like I was rushing my shots.”

She fouled out of Game 1 with 24 seconds left in a 68-64 loss.

Before the Finals, Reese had 22 points and 9 rebounds in the 85-83 win at New York that completed Atlanta’s semifinal sweep of the Liberty.

Reese won the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award this month. Atlanta acquired her from the Chicago Sky in an offseason trade.

In three regular-season games against Golden State, she averaged 14.0 points and 12.3 rebounds and posted a double-double each time. The Valkyries won all three.

Reese counted 6 of Atlanta’s 18 turnovers as hers, the most by any player on either team.

The Dream committed 14 of the 18 before halftime, matching the Finals record for turnovers in a half.

“For my turnovers, I think that, well, two of them were offensive fouls,” Reese said. “And then just not passing the ball right on time to where I usually do. So I just have to be better there.”

“And those six turnovers, we had 17. Subtract that, it would be 11,” Reese continued. “So just being better there for me individually, just being better and taking care of the ball.”

Those turnovers became 16 Golden State points. Atlanta managed 8 points off the Valkyries’ 9 giveaways.

The Valkyries led 42-26 at halftime. Atlanta outscored them 36-25 after the break.

“Just getting back to who we are, our identity, being the enforcers and just knowing who we are,” Reese said. “I think our second quarter is what honestly killed us, 26 to 15. So just being able to get back to — I think our second half was great.”

“We applied a lot of pressure, but we can’t wait until the second half to do it, especially in [Ballhalla],” Reese added. “So just making sure we come out a lot better and finish the game how we did.”

Atlanta was within 61-55 midway through the final period.

Rhyne Howard converted a three-point play to make it 66-62 with 28 seconds left, and the Dream did not score again.

Howard finished with a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds. Jordin Canada and Isobel Borlase each scored 10, and Naz Hillmon had 9 rebounds.

Reese has praised Borlase’s play this series, saying earlier in the week that the guard looks fearless on the Finals stage.

The Dream went 22-of-31 at the free-throw line, with Reese making 4 of 6. They shot 33.3% overall and made 4 of 23 3-pointers.

The Dream return to Chase Center, where they won Game 2, for an 8 p.m. ET tip Monday. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, in Atlanta.