Angel Reese ignited WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) chatter among fans after delivering a defensive masterclass against Brittney Griner during the Atlanta Dream’s dominant 104-69 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday.

The most highlighted moment of the game happened early in the second quarter.

Despite a significant 5-inch height disadvantage, the 6-foot-4 Dream forward repeatedly denied the Connecticut center in the paint.

The Atlanta Dream official X account posted the clip, captioning it: "SHE ON THAT."

Griner posted up inside the paint for a reverse-handed shot. Reese blocked the initial attempt, stood her ground to reject Griner's second attempt off the offensive rebound, and immediately ripped the ball away for a steal.

Reese recorded a team-high 4 blocks in the entire game. Three of those blocks came directly against 6-foot-9 center Brittney Griner.

According to a Real App post on X, this was the first time in Griner's 13-season WNBA career that she was blocked three times by a single player in a game.

Reese closed the night with 8 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks, all while completely locking down Griner for 28 minutes.

Meanwhile, Griner struggled to find any rhythm, playing just 17 minutes and ending the night with 7 points and 8 rebounds as the Sun suffered a blowout loss.

Why fans are making the DPOY Case

That single sequence against one of the league's legendary centers immediately shifted the conversation around Reese's DPOY award candidacy. Fans took to the comments section under

"15 boards and 7 stocks on a calm night?! Man, stop playing!!!! @Reese10Angel is DPOY!!!!!!!!," one fan wrote, citing her scores from Thursday's game.

And they weren't the only one saying so. The only player to match or exceed that exact combination of numbers in a single game since 2018 is four-time MVP A'ja Wilson, per ESPN.

Another fan also chimed in, saying, "DPOTY PLAIN AND SIMPLE..."

However, many WNBA enthusiasts pointed out that Reese's night wasn't very good offensively, as she struggled to shoot and missed shots. Yet her defensive masterclass covered all of that.

That's why one commentator wrote, "People will try to convince you this is a bad player," pointing to her critics.

One fan went so far as to explain what makes Reese different from other forwards in the game.

"This is called hustle. For those who have never played a sport and think Angel isn’t good, I would choose this any day as a coach," the commentator added.

Beyond all the numbers, what fans cherished most was Reese's relentless energy and hustle on the court, which completely anchored Atlanta.

Dream head coach Karl Smesko also acknowledged that after the game.

That's why one fan added at the end, "I am NOT an Angel Reese fan, but I have to give the girl her due on that one."

With this dominant win, the Atlanta Dream improved their record to 21-12 on the season, climbing to fourth place in the WNBA standings. According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Atlanta now holds a 99.9% chance of making the postseason.

On the other hand, the Connecticut Sun dropped to 8-24, sitting in 14th place with a slim 0.1% chance of extending their season.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit