Angel Reese stellar after 1-game absence as Dream beat Sparks

Field Level Media|published: Mon 13th July, 21:41 2026

Jul 13, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) drives on Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) in the second quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Angel Reese posted a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double in her return from injury, helping lift the Atlanta Dream to a 101-92 win over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Monday in College Park, Ga.

Reese missed the last game with a lower leg injury. Allisha Gray added 20 points and Jordin Canada had 16 points and nine assists for the Dream (14-10), who had dropped six of their last seven. Rhyne Howard scored 11 points, while Naz Hillmon and Isobel Borlase chipped in 10 apiece.

Erica Wheeler led Los Angeles (10-12) with 20 points, followed by Nneka Ogwumike's 19 and Rae Burrell's 18. Ariel Atkins scored 13 points and Dearica Hamby tallied 12 for the Sparks, who dropped their sixth game in nine tries.

After Atlanta pushed its 11-point halftime lead to 14, the Sparks answered with a 12-2 run, cutting the deficit to four on Atkins' jumper with 4:29 remaining in the third.

The Dream built the margin back to double figures on Reese's two free throws, making it 74-64. Atlanta took an 83-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Sparks began the fourth with eight straight points, knotting the score at 83 apiece on Burrell's layup. With 5:30 remaining, Hamby's layup gave Los Angeles an 87-85 lead -- its first lead since the opening minutes of the second quarter.

Gray's bank shot and Reese's go-ahead 3-pointer jumpstarted a 9-0 Dream run, helping Atlanta grab a 94-87 lead with 1:56 left. Howard's third triple iced the game with 36 seconds remaining.

An early 10-0 run gave Atlanta a 21-13 edge with 2:27 left in the opening quarter. Kiana Williams' 3-pointer to beat the buzzer trimmed the Sparks' deficit to four entering the second.

From there, Gray and Howard made consecutive treys to give the Dream a 32-28 lead. Wheeler's fadeaway pulled the visitors within two at the 4:26 mark of the second.

Reese stamped a 7-0 spurt with her tip-in with less than a second left, giving the Dream a 59-48 halftime lead. Wheeler's 13 first-half points led all scorers, while Reese paced the Dream with 12.

--Field Level Media