Sunday was a night of firsts in the WNBA playoffs, and it belonged to Angel Reese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making her postseason debut with the Atlanta Dream, Reese put up a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double as Atlanta took Game 1 of its first-round series against the Washington Mystics, 92-77. It was a milestone moment for the third-year forward, who never reached the playoffs in her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing made it even sweeter. Earlier on Sunday, Reese was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year, succeeding Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson. She led the league in rebounding for the third straight season and finished third in steals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, her longtime rival Caitlin Clark had a bittersweet Sunday of her own. Clark was honored as the AP Comeback Player of the Year after fighting back from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. But on the court, her Indiana Fever fell to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 102-85 in Game 1. Clark still managed a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result means Reese is now 1-0 in the WNBA playoffs, while Clark dropped to 0-3 in her postseason career. Indiana has made the playoffs in all three seasons since drafting Clark first overall in 2024, but lost in the first round her rookie year and reached the semifinals last season while she was sidelined with injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atlanta now leads its best-of-three series 1-0, with Game 2 set for Wednesday in Washington. Indiana, meanwhile, faces a must-win response after a flat Game 1 against Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rivalry aside, both stars walked away with major AP awards on the same day \u2014 a reminder of how much they continue to shape the league’s biggest storylines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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