Angel Reese may be on a new team, but her rivalry with Caitlin Clark hasn’t changed.
Reese, now with the Dream, faced off against Clark’s Fever on Thursday in what Atlanta coach Karl Smesko described as a game with “playoff intensity.”
That became readily apparent in the second quarter when Clark sold some contact, drawing a foul on Reese — who took the opportunity to exaggeratedly mock her opponent for what she seemingly believed to be foul-baiting.
Clark made both of her free throws to pull Indiana within one at 34-33, two of her 26 points on the night.
It was Reese and the Dream, however, who pulled out the 108-101 win to improve to 10-4, sinking the Fever to 9-6 on the season.
“The more you play in playoff intensity games that has this type of edge to it and when both teams are playing at that level where they’re both playing really well … the more comfortable you’ll be in those situations,” Smesko said. “So, it’s a great road win against a really good team.”
Clark and Reese have often downplayed any semblance of a rivalry, which dates back to their collegiate days — Reese at LSU and Clark at Iowa.
Reese and the Tigers famously knocked off the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Final in 2023.
Their Thursday night duel added another chapter as both players debuted their newest sneakers for the game, with Reese wearing her “Angel Reese 1: Poison Angel” model by Reebok and Clark’s long-awaited “Caitlin 1” from Nike.