logo
WNBA Sends Strong Angel Reese Message on Friday

WNBA Sends Strong Angel Reese Message on Friday

Yahoo14 hours ago

WNBA Sends Strong Angel Reese Message on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 WNBA season is still young, but the Chicago Sky dropped to 2-6 after Tuesday's loss to the New York Liberty. This gives them the eleventh-best record in the league and the fifth-best in the Eastern Conference.
Advertisement
Tuesday's 85 to 66 loss marked the fifth time this season that the Sky have lost by 13 points or more. This was also the second straight contest that they lost by more than 19 points.
Second-year forward Angel Reese had her strongest performance of the season against the 9-0 Liberty, chipping in a season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. Her 8-for-13 shooting performance was also her best of the year, and she added three assists and two steals.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5).Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
This was also Reese's fourth double-double of the 2025 WNBA season, as well as her 42nd of her young career.
On Friday, the WNBA sent out a message about Reese and her historic performance, which made her the fastest player in WNBA history to record 30 double-doubles.
Advertisement
"Rewriting the record books in real time ✍️," the WNBA wrote. "Angel Reese dropped a season-high 17 PTS & 11 REB on Tuesday vs. the Liberty, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to record 30 career double-doubles (42 games)."
Although Reese's production has dropped slightly from her All-Star and All-Rookie campaign in 2024, she is still averaging 10.1 points and a WNBA-leading 12.1 rebounds per game in 2025.
Ariel Atkins has also been productive for Chicago despite their 2-6 start, as she is contributing 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Second-year center Kamilla Cardoso is adding 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest as well.
Advertisement
The Sky are back in action on Friday evening, as they travel to Atlanta to take on the 6-3 Dream. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
Related: Chicago Sky Under Fire in New ESPN Rankings
Related: Chicago Sky Rule Player Out for Atlanta Dream Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky drop third straight game as slump continues with loss to Dream
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky drop third straight game as slump continues with loss to Dream

Fox News

time17 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky drop third straight game as slump continues with loss to Dream

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky's slump continued on Friday night with the team's third straight loss and seventh of the season, this time against the Atlanta Dream. Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said earlier this week that the team would need to see more production out of the former LSU star, but Reese struggled to turn things around in the 88-70 loss that saw the Dream's Rhyne Howard drop a season-high of 36 points and a career-high nine three-pointers. "We've got to do a better job of stopping the bleeding as it's going," head coach Tyler Marsh told reporters after the game. "I think we did about as good a job as you could do defensively in that first half and for parts of that third quarter and executed our defensive game plan. But we've got to continue to put together a full 40-minute game." Reese went 0-for-2 in the first quarter but recorded five rebounds and two assists. She followed that in the second with eight points and went 3-for-4. But the Sky's attempt at turning things around faltered in the third as Atlanta pulled away. She finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds. Statistically, Reese has struggled this season, compared to last year's All-Star-worthy performance. Her field goal percentage has dropped, she is averaging 10.3 points a game compared to last season's 13.6, and her average turnover per game is up 3.8 compared to her rookie average of 3.5. "She's had some great games, and she's had some games like everybody else that haven't been her best," Pagliocca told the Chicago Sun-TImes this week. "But she's our best chance at versatility on this roster. We need more production out of her, but we need her to help us in other ways, too. A new head coach and revamped roster have put the Sky's growing pains on full display. "It's a long season and there's a lot of games left, but this is unexpected, and I've been very disappointed," Pagliocca added. "We had pretty big, significant expectations for this season. That's why I made the moves I made." The Sky sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 2-7 record. They'll look to turn things around when they travel to Connecticut to play the Sun on Sunday. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Thunder embraced their moments of adversity this season. It paid off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals
Thunder embraced their moments of adversity this season. It paid off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals

San Francisco Chronicle​

time26 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Thunder embraced their moments of adversity this season. It paid off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The book is called 'The Obstacle Is the Way.' It's a gift that Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault gave to Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein during a trying time this season, knowing the voracious reader would figure out the meaning. Message delivered. 'I read it and remembered that everything happens for a reason,' Hartenstein said. 'And after that, everything worked out great.' Such has been the story of the Thunder season. Such was the story of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Faced with the biggest challenge of their season — a 10-point deficit in the second half, staring at a very real chance of the Indiana Pacers grabbing the almost-insurmountable 3-1 lead in the title round — the Thunder, once again, came away saying everything worked out great. Led by a dazzling and frantic finish from the reigning MVP and scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who had 15 of his 35 points in the final five minutes or so — the Thunder rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Indiana 111-104 on Friday night. The series is now tied 2-2, heading back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday night, and it's the Thunder who have home-court advantage again. 'That was an uphill game against a great team,' Daigneault said after Game 4 in Indianapolis, simultaneously lauding his team while also raving about the Pacers. 'This is one of the best teams in the league in the last couple months, since All-Star break. They're a hard team to beat here. They're a hard team to beat, period. I thought we gutted it out on a night when we didn't have a lot going, especially offensively.' It was a night when the Thunder made only three 3-pointers and were shooting 45% with about five minutes left before Gilgeous-Alexander got going. He took 11 shots in the final 4:40 — three field-goal attempts, one of them a 3-point try, and eight free throws — and made them all. A perfect finish, on a night when little had gone to plan. 'It's unbelievable," Daigneault said. 'He really didn't have it going a lot of the night. He was laboring. We had a hard time shaking him free. For him to be able to flip the switch like that and get the rhythm he got just speaks to how great of a player he is.' It might not have seemed so to the outside world — those who fixated on things like Oklahoma City's 68-14 franchise-best record, its 16-game lead over its nearest challenger in the Western Conference standings, a record number of double-digit wins and how all of it was led by the MVP and scoring champion in Gilgeous-Alexander. But the Thunder did, in fact, face some adversity this season. They played without Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein for a while during the year. There was some flux to the lineup at times. Everybody probably had some sort of mini-slump along the way. There was a Game 1 loss in the second round to Denver. And Daigneault embraced every bit of that pain, knowing that for the Thunder to get to where they want to go adversity was going to present itself. Like the being-down-10, late-third-quarter sort of adversity that came up in Game 4. Just like Hartenstein was led to believe by the book, everything worked out great. 'We haven't really had to show it a lot this year, with the success we had in the regular season,' guard Jalen Williams said shortly before the team left for the flight back to Oklahoma City, where a huge crowd showed up in the middle of the night to greet the team at the airport — as they often do. 'We've had a lot of ups and downs during the playoffs. We've just learned from those experiences. That is something Mark is really big on; every game you should be able to learn, then the next game you should be able to apply something and get better at it. That's what we're trying to do every time.' The series is far from over and the Thunder know it. Indiana already has won once at Oklahoma City in these finals; surely, the Pacers think they can do it again. And even though the teams finished 18 wins apart in the final standings — OKC won 68 times, Indiana won 50 — it doesn't seem like 18 wins worth of disparity between the clubs right now. Indiana stole Game 1 at the end. Oklahoma City stole Game 4 at the end, albeit not as dramatically as the Pacers took the opener. Game 2 was pretty much controlled by the Thunder throughout; the Pacers had the best of the play for the majority of Game 3. Add it up, and it looks exactly like what it is — a 2-2 series going into Game 5. 'I still feel like we have so much work to do,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'Halfway there, obviously, but still so far from the finish line.' ___

Jewell Loyd has breakout game in Aces' win over Wings after slow start to season
Jewell Loyd has breakout game in Aces' win over Wings after slow start to season

NBC Sports

timean hour ago

  • NBC Sports

Jewell Loyd has breakout game in Aces' win over Wings after slow start to season

LAS VEGAS — This is the Jewell Loyd the Aces traded for in January, the addition Las Vegas counted on to remain a WNBA championship contender. She scored 21 points, including a 3-pointer with 28.3 seconds left that put the Aces ahead for good, in their 88-84 victory over Dallas on Friday night. Loyd shot with confidence, making a statement from the beginning by scoring the Aces' first eight points. The 11-year, six-time All-Star entered the game averaging a career-low 9.1 points and shooting 30%. Loyd made 7 of 13 shots against the Wings, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. She often was guarded by Paige Bueckers, taken first overall in this year's draft. Loyd herself was the No. 1 pick in 2015. 'Confidence is always there,' Loyd said. 'I get annoyed more when I miss shots. Making shots allows people to play free and spacing and all those things. You want to see the ball go through the basket. My preparation's been the same. My teammates believe in me, coaches, fans. Everyone's encouraging me all the way through.' Coach Becky Hammon said before the game that she wasn't worried about Loyd's shooting, that it would come around. She was right. Loyd came out strong, scoring 16 points in the first half. 'We need her shooting,' Hammon said afterward. 'We've been waiting for that explosion, and I thought she got off to a really great start.' Not that the entire night went smoothly. Loyd didn't score in the third quarter and committed three turnovers. Then in the fourth period, she took an elbow from DiJonai Carrington and left the floor. But Loyd wasn't gone long, returning in time to make the go-ahead shot after point guard Chelsea Gray kept the possession alive with an offensive rebound. Gray then fed the ball to Loyd, who drilled the shot. That helped the Aces erase an 11-point deficit with a 15-point run. 'We were so engaged, and there was a belief we were going to win this game,' Loyd said. Loyd was the shiny new piece the Aces — who won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 — were going to hang their title hopes on after acquiring her from Seattle in a three-team trade that also sent fan favorite and WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles. Given what Plum has done in LA, averaging 21.0 points, the Sparks often have looked as if they won the trade. But performances like this one against Dallas could change that dynamic. Loyd's slow start has mirrored the team's. The Aces entered the game 4-4 and nearly lost to a Wings team with just one victory, even giving up an 18-point run at one point in the third quarter. Las Vegas rallied with Loyd a key piece even with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson out because of a concussion. 'It's about winning games in September, so we just want to keep building habits,' Hammon said. 'We're still waiting for that unicorn 40 (minutes). As long as I can see us making progress and keeping the belief in each other. This is a process. This stuff just doesn't happen overnight. That's why you play 44 games.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store