Dream's Historic Night
Atlanta Dream Sets Franchise Scoring Record, Defeating Fever 113-96; Reese Achieves 1,000 Rebounds
The Atlanta Dream crushed the Indiana Fever 113-96 on Saturday, setting a new franchise record for points in a single game and handing Caitlin Clark her team's third straight loss. The game, played before a sold-out crowd of 17,044 at State Farm Arena, was also the site of a historic individual milestone: Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, doing it in just 79 games. AP
Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 24 points. Allisha Gray added 22. Five Dream players finished in double figures for the second straight game, per CBS News. Clark scored 26 for Indiana, but it wasn't enough to overcome 19 turnovers and a dominant Atlanta third quarter.
Atlanta's Third-Quarter Run Flipped the Game
Indiana came out blazing. The Fever shot 8-for-8 from the field in the first quarter. Clark scored 13 points in that stretch alone, giving Indiana a 37-30 lead after one. The Fever pushed their advantage to 11 points early in the second quarter and led 59-56 at halftime, according to Field Level Media.
Then Atlanta took over. The Dream went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 28-15 in the period to go up 84-74. Howard opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. Atlanta's lead grew to 20 points with under three minutes left. The Dream shot 54.1% from the field for the game. Indiana turned the ball over 19 times, per The Washington Post.
Reese Smashes WNBA Rebounding Record in 79th Game
Angel Reese finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds on Saturday. But the bigger number was 1,000 — her career rebound total. She reached it faster than any player in WNBA history. The old record belonged to Tina Charles, who hit 1,000 rebounds in 89 games. Reese did it 10 games sooner, according to CBS News.
Reese did not downplay the achievement. "I think people don't realize rebounding is harder than you think," she said. "Just being able to come out and do what I do, it shows my consistency. I want more." Dream head coach Karl Smesko credited his team's resilience after a shaky first half. "Indiana, that first half, they were exceptional," he said. "Fortunately, our offense was good enough to hang around."
State Farm Arena Packed Thanks to Caitlin Clark Effect
Atlanta usually plays home games at the 5,000-seat Gateway Center Arena. For this matchup, the team moved to State Farm Arena — a 17,044-seat venue — because of massive ticket demand driven by Clark's star power. All 17,044 seats were filled on Saturday. The Dream have five games scheduled at the larger venue this season, per The Washington Post.
The sold-out crowd included celebrities and athletes. NBA players Jalen Johnson and C.J. McCollum attended, along with Falcons cornerback Avieon Terrell and rapper Latto. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley also came to watch. She received a standing ovation. Seven of her former players competed across both rosters.
Dream Rise to 11-4, Indiana Falls to 9-7
Atlanta has now won three straight games, all against Indiana. The Dream improved to 11-4, putting them among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Indiana dropped to 9-7, ending a recent hot streak. The Fever return home for a three-game stand starting Monday, June 22, against the Phoenix Mercury, per WNBA.com.
The game added to a growing body of evidence that the WNBA is expanding fast. The league recently announced it will grow the regular season to 50 games starting in 2027. Saturday's sellout at a 17,000-seat arena is exactly the kind of data point driving that decision, according to Field Level Media.
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