Thursday night didn’t go well for Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, as they lost to the New York Liberty, 99-74. It was a tough matchup against the reigning WNBA champions, and the game highlighted some of the struggles that Reese faced early on.
Just a few minutes into the game, Reese managed to get five offensive rebounds in a very short time—19 seconds, to be exact. Unfortunately, it was largely due to her own mistakes. She attempted four shots from the right side of the basket but missed all of them; two were even blocked. She eventually passed the ball out to a teammate, who also failed to connect on a three-pointer, and Reese was unable to grab the rebound.
This moment quickly became a subject of discussion on social media, with users poking fun at her, prompting Reese to quip, “he hasn’t beat the allegations.” The former LSU standout had an impressive season last year, averaging a double-double and breaking the record for most rebounds in a season, although injuries did cut her time short. Still, she often receives criticism for her inability to make layups and for her rebounding stats, which some claim are inflated because of her positioning.
On this night, Reese ended up missing all eight of her shot attempts, scoring just two points while securing 12 rebounds. It marked the first time since 2021 that she hadn’t made at least one basket, effectively ending a streak of 136 games when combining college and professional play.
Earlier this season, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach both 450 points and rebounds. Meanwhile, New York set a WNBA record by hitting 19 three-pointers in their victory, surpassing the previous playoff record of 22 three-pointers achieved by Las Vegas. Of the nine Liberty players who attempted threes, eight succeeded, with Natasha Cloud and Kennedy Burke each contributing four.
The Liberty shot an impressive 55% from the field, making 16 of 17 free throws, showcasing a stark contrast to the struggles Reese faced that night.
Looking ahead, the Liberty will be playing Caitlyn Clark in Indiana on Saturday, while Chicago is set to face Los Angeles on Sunday.
