Angel Reese earns first WNBA playoff win while Caitlin Clark’s wait continues originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark both entered Sunday’s WNBA playoff games with something to celebrate. Reese had been named the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Clark had received the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Only one of them ended the night with a win.
Reese recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds in her postseason debut as the Atlanta Dream beat the Washington Mystics 92-77. Clark had 15 points and 10 assists, but the Indiana Fever fell 102-85 to the Las Vegas Aces. That gave Reese her first WNBA playoff victory. Clark is still looking for hers, although she has another opportunity Tuesday when Indiana hosts Las Vegas in Game 2.
The distinction is an interesting moment in their careers, but their routes to it have been different. Reese spent her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky, who did not reach the playoffs during that stretch. Sunday was her first chance to play in a postseason game. Clark made the playoffs as a rookie in 2024, when the Fever lost their first-round series to the Connecticut Sun. Injuries kept her out of Indiana’s playoff run last year. Her return to postseason action came against an Aces team led by an exceptional performance from A’ja Wilson.
Dream and Fever head toward different Game 2 situations
Atlanta had to work for Reese’s first win. The Dream trailed Washington by 11 in the first half before rallying behind 26 points from Rhyne Howard and 22 from Allisha Gray. Reese contributed a double-double and helped Atlanta move within one victory of the semifinals.
The Fever face elimination after a far more difficult opener. Wilson scored 38 points and collected 16 rebounds for Las Vegas. The Aces led by as many as 27, leaving Indiana little room for a late comeback.
Both series are best-of-three. Atlanta can advance with a win in Washington on Wednesday. Indiana must win at home Tuesday to force a deciding Game 3 against the defending champions.
Sunday’s individual awards also highlighted what each player has overcome or contributed this season. Clark returned after an injury-disrupted 2025. Reese’s work on defense and the glass earned recognition in her first regular season with the Dream.
MORE: A’ja Wilson overwhelms Caitlin Clark’s Fever as Aces turn playoff opener into a rout
The postseason quest continues
The playoff results gave their nights different endings. Reese now has a postseason victory on her record and a chance to advance. Clark’s first playoff win remains within reach, but the Fever have no margin for another loss.
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