Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream on August 17, 95-91. Although Dream forward Angel Reese recorded 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists, her missed game-winning layup against Fever guard Caitlin Clark is what stuck in people's minds.

During the post-game interview following the Dream’s victory against the Las Vegas Aces, Reese finally opened up about how she was coping against the backlash she received after missing the layup against Clark.

 “Yeah, I knew how much my team needed me. Like I said last game, it was very tough for me. I didn’t sleep, and the competitor in me wanted to win that game so bad,” she told reporters on August 19, per New York Post. 

During the final moments of the game against the Fever, Reese missed a wide-open layup. She retrieved an offensive rebound from her teammate but failed to execute the putback, which eventually contributed to the Fever's overtime victory.

“I replayed that so many times. And I’m like, why would I let that moment dictate everything else that I have going on that’s positive?” the Dream forward added, according to New York Post’s August 19 report.

The critical mistake not only cost the Dream the game but also made Reese the center of criticism and mockery online. After the missed layup went online, a clip of Clark smirking in the distance further intensified fans' reactions.

But Reese isn’t letting the loss dictate the rest of her season. She explained that since her team depended on her, letting herself wallow on her mistake rather than stepping up her game would be unfair to her Dream teammates.

Luckily for the Dreams, although the loss against the Fever was costly, it wasn’t enough to eliminate their chances of making the playoffs.

With a strong 21-13 record and an overall 5th place in the league standings, the Dream still remains firmly in the competition.

However, even Reese's critics agree that she has potential. So, what is holding her back?

Jason Whitlock on Angel Reese: "Don't like her, but she is a competitor"

While discussing Angel Reese's layup miss against the Fever, analyst Jason Whitlock acknowledged her talent on his podcast, Fearless with Jason Whitlock.

This is one thing I've always said about Angel Reese, not a fan, don't like her, but she is a competitor," Whitlock admitted on the Fearless podcast, per his August 20 X post. "I am not surprised that we're sitting here 48 hours later and Angel Reese went up against the MVP, Asia Wilson, had a very solid game and led her team to a victory."

Reese led Atlanta to a 97-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on August 18. She recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals, outplaying MVP A'ja Wilson, who scored 27 points

On the podcast, Whitlock said that while Reese's offensive skills were often shoddy, she definitely played a role in winning.

"And I will say, man, like she affects winning, man. She is a presence on the court," Whitlock said.

The analyst further stated that while he criticized the Dream forward often, he did follow her LSU games and realized that her presence on the court changed the energy.

Written by

Arundhoti Palit

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit