Dream vs. Sky: Angel Reese Extends WNBA Single-Season Double-Double Record to 31 in Atlanta's 106-81 Rout

Angel Reese has turned the double-double into a nightly formality, and Saturday was no exception. Reese posted 23 points and 10 rebounds, giving her 31 double-doubles this season and stretching a WNBA single-season record she already owned, and the Atlanta Dream ran away from the Chicago Sky after halftime.

The final was 106-81 at State Farm Arena, where 17,099 fans watched the Dream close their regular-season home schedule in style. Rookie Isobel Borlase turned the start of the fourth quarter into a personal shooting clinic, and Atlanta stayed firmly in the race for first-round home court.

A First Half That Went Back and Forth

For 20 minutes, this was a genuine fistfight. The lead changed hands 17 times on the night, Chicago's biggest edge was four points, and Atlanta led just 26-25 after one quarter and 51-47 at the half. Kamilla Cardoso was efficient around the basket, going 5 of 7, and Gabriela Jaquez kept the Sky within striking distance.

Atlanta's offense was humming, but so was Chicago's, and nobody could string together stops. Then the Dream's defense found another gear.

The Third Quarter Avalanche

Clinging to a 58-53 lead midway through the third, the Dream rattled off 12 unanswered points to go up 70-53. A few minutes later, they tacked on an 8-0 run to make it 79-57. Atlanta won the quarter 32-19 and carried an 83-66 lead into the fourth.

Allisha Gray was the catalyst, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the third, according to the team. She explained the shift after the game.

"We just came out with a different energy," Gray said. "We knew we had to punch first."

Then came the Borlase barrage. According to the AP, the rookie hit three 3-pointers in the first 87 seconds of the fourth, and Reese followed with a three-point play that made it 95-71 with 7:35 to go. The lead peaked at 27, and the final minutes were mostly a chance for the Dream's reserves to get some run.

Reese Did Everything

Reese's night: 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in 28 minutes, with a game-best plus-26. Her free-throw shooting (4 of 9) and six turnovers kept it from being flawless, but the rest of the line was a reminder of why she keeps rewriting the record book. Every one of her 10 boards came on the defensive glass. The Dream added that she became the only player in WNBA history with 500 rebounds in a single season, which feels like a stat from a sport where the rim is lowered.

Borlase finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting and three steals, both season highs per the AP, and she went 3 for 3 from deep. Gray scored 17 and went a perfect 7 for 7 at the line, Rhyne Howard added 14 with three 3s and a plus-24, and Jordin Canada ran the offense with 11 points and nine assists. DeWanna Bonner chipped in eight off the bench and was a plus-21.

The Dream were relentless in transition, outscoring Chicago 22-8 on the fast break, and they shot 53% from the field and exactly 50% from 3-point range. That is the kind of efficiency that turns a close game into a long night for the visitors.

Chicago Ran Out of Gas

Jaquez led the Sky with 14 points. Aicha Coulibaly and Cardoso scored 11 apiece, Courtney Vandersloot had 10 points and six assists, and Morgan Maly added 10 off the bench with two 3s. Coulibaly was perfect at the line, going 5 for 5, and played just 15 minutes. Rookie Sydney Taylor, who the AP said had been averaging 13.8 points, managed just two on 1-of-8 shooting. Chicago made only 4 of its 20 3-point attempts, and the Sky's 8-0 run late in the fourth only shaved a 27-point hole down to 19.

Vandersloot's night summed up the problem. She was a minus-24 in 24 minutes with five turnovers, and the Sky gave the ball away 17 times as a team, which Atlanta converted into 24 points.

The Turning Point

The 12-0 run in the third. Chicago trailed only 58-53 midway through the quarter and was still very much in a game it had played on even terms for 25 minutes. Instead, Atlanta scored the next 12, and the Sky never recovered.

Stats That Matter

• 13 of 26: Atlanta's 3-point shooting. Chicago went 4 of 20.
• 22-8: The Dream's edge in fast-break points.
• 13: Atlanta steals. The team said the Dream now own the league record for steals in a season, with 347.
• 29-21: Atlanta's assist advantage.

What It Means

Atlanta improved to 28-14 overall and 15-7 at home. The Dream have won three in a row and nine of their last 11, and they swept the season series with Chicago 3-0. The team said its playoff spot is already secure. Per the AP, the win moved Atlanta a half-game ahead of Indiana and to within a half-game of third-place Las Vegas, with the top four earning home court for the best-of-three first round that begins Sept. 27. The Dream close the regular season with two games against New York, on Monday and Wednesday.

Coach Karl Smesko kept the message simple.

"We have to pick up some wins," Smesko said.

Chicago dropped to 15-27 overall and 5-16 on the road, and has now lost five straight. The Sky host Toronto on Tuesday.

Closing Take

Thirty-one double-doubles in one season is the kind of number that used to show up only in video games with the difficulty slider set to easy. Reese keeps stacking them like it is just another Saturday. With two games left and seeding on the line, Atlanta has a star who treats every night like a must-win and a rookie who just set the nets on fire. That combination should make the rest of the bracket a little nervous.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Records as reported by the Associated Press and the Atlanta Dream. Quotes from the Atlanta Dream.