By: Jennifer Portee
6/19/2026
Atlanta didn’t just win this one they showed how dangerous they can be when everyone eats.
Behind Angel Reese’s 21 points and 11 rebounds, the Dream leaned on a full-team effort to hold off the Indiana Fever 108-101 on Thursday night. It marked Reese’s 10th double-double of the season, but this wasn’t a one-woman show. All five Atlanta starters finished with at least 16 points.
Jordin Canada added 18, while Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon each dropped 17. Rhyne Howard chipped in 16, including key buckets late that helped Atlanta regain control when the game tightened up.
Indiana didn’t fold. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell matched each other with 26 points apiece, and Aliyah Boston added 23 and eight rebounds, just shy of another double-double. Mitchell also made history, becoming the eighth player in WNBA history to knock down 700 career three-pointers.
Still, the difference came down to execution in key moments and Atlanta’s ability to respond.
The Dream built a double-digit lead in the second half, but Indiana stormed back with a 9-0 run in the fourth, tying the game at 93 with just over five minutes left. Mitchell fueled that push, scoring the first seven points of the run, including her milestone three.
From there, Atlanta settled back into itself.
A costly Indiana turnover led to a go-ahead fast-break layup, and Howard followed with back-to-back scores to stretch the lead. Then Reese finished through contact for an and-one with 23 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
Her second half told its own story. After battling foul trouble early and heading to the bench with four fouls in the first half, Reese returned locked in playing the entire second half without picking up another.
Atlanta’s control wasn’t just about scoring it started on the defensive end.
After the game, I asked Dream head coach Karl Smesko what they were seeing defensively that disrupted Indiana’s rhythm early.
“Just in the first half, we got a lot of deflections,” Smesko said. “We had good help in spots and were able to force some turnovers. Indiana adjusted in the second half it got tougher to create those opportunities, but it was good to see we were still able to score within our offense and in transition, even when those turnovers weren’t coming.”
That early defensive pressure helped Atlanta build its lead and more importantly, gave them enough room to overcome Indiana’s late push.
Clark, meanwhile, had a quieter fourth quarter than expected. Debuting her upcoming “Caitlin 1” signature shoes, she finished with 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting but was limited late after picking up her fifth foul. She returned in the final minutes but didn’t attempt another shot down the stretch.
For Atlanta, though, the formula was clear: share the load, defend with purpose, and close with composure.
And when this group plays like that connected, balanced, and timely it looks less like a hot night and more like a team starting to figure it out at the right time.
Atlanta won’t have to wait long to see Indiana again the two teams are set for a rematch Saturday in Atlanta.