Dream vs. Storm: Angel Reese Breaks Double-Double Record for First Three WNBA Seasons, Ending 5-Game Skid

Angel Reese has spent three WNBA seasons making double-doubles look like a chore she handles before breakfast. On Thursday night, the chore turned into history. Her 18 points and 11 rebounds were her 64th career double-double, moving her past Tina Charles (63) for the most by any player in her first three WNBA seasons.

It also came with something the Dream needed a lot more urgently: a win. Allisha Gray scored 22, Rhyne Howard added 19, and Atlanta got past the Seattle Storm 89-78 at Gateway Center to end a five-game losing streak. The only sour note came with 1:19 to play, when Reese was helped off the floor after rolling her right ankle.

A Thousand Little Thefts

Seattle actually delivered the first punchline, opening 5-0 and leading 7-2 behind Dominique Malonga and Natisha Hiedeman. It was tied at 15 with five minutes left in the first quarter before Atlanta started swiping everything in sight. The Dream closed the period on a 14-4 surge, and Isobel Borlase's basket with 12 seconds left made it 29-19.

The second quarter was more of the same, only faster. Howard opened it with a three, Gray and Naz Hillmon hit from deep, and Atlanta led 42-28 before the midway point. Seattle kept giving the ball away, and the Dream kept turning those mistakes into layups. Atlanta forced 15 turnovers in the first half alone and scored 19 points off them, going to the break ahead 55-38.

What's strange about this game is that neither team had a run of eight unanswered points all night. Atlanta built a 20-point lead without any big explosion. It just kept taking the ball away and scoring, one possession at a time, like someone slowly emptying a bank account with small withdrawals.

The Moment It Got Out of Reach

Seattle came out of the half with some life, as Malonga and Flau'jae Johnson scored the first few baskets of the third to get within 57-46. Howard's three and a Reese basket answered, and then Reese scored inside again with 4:15 left in the quarter to make it 68-48. That was the game's biggest lead and the point where any real hope for Seattle went away.

The Storm didn't quit, to their credit. Jordan Horston scored twice early in the fourth, Hiedeman buried a three, and Johnson's steal and two free throws with 2:52 left made it 84-76. But eight was as close as it got in the final quarter. Jordin Canada, who'd been the steady hand all night, got fouled on a drive and hit both free throws, then hit another at 1:18. Gray's reverse layup at 23.3 sealed it.

"I think in the fourth quarter we did have a little low, but we tried to come together and make sure we were valuing our possessions and just having that mindset that we needed to finish the game," Canada said.

Reese Gets the Record, Everybody Gets a Share

Reese went 7 of 15 with three offensive rebounds, 4 of 4 at the line and two steals. This was her 15th double-double of the season, the most in the league, and she got things going early, with eight points in the first quarter. "Angel was just being really aggressive with her opportunities, and helped get us off to a great start in that first quarter," coach Karl Smesko said. Smesko didn't have an update on her ankle afterward.

Gray might have been the most efficient player in the building at 7 of 13 from the field and a perfect 7 of 7 at the line, with five assists. Howard shot 4 of 11 from deep and added four steals and two blocks, and Canada was everywhere, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Hillmon, who hadn't started in three games while on a minutes restriction, chipped in seven points and three steals, and Madina Okot pulled down six rebounds, four of them offensive, in just nine minutes.

Hiedeman led Seattle with 20 points, Malonga had 15 and nine rebounds, and Johnson added 14. Kim Mulkey, the LSU coach, was in the building to watch her former players Reese and Johnson. She got to see one of them make history and the other one lose by 11.

Twenty-Eight Points Off Giveaways

• 28-19: Atlanta's edge in points off turnovers. Seattle gave it away 23 times, counting team turnovers.
• 14: Dream steals, led by Howard with four and Canada and Hillmon with three each.
• 18-5: Fast-break points. Those steals turned into easy baskets again and again.
• 3 of 20: Seattle from three. Atlanta wasn't sharp itself at 6 of 26, but it didn't need to be.
• 23 of 26: The Dream at the line, against 15 of 19 for the Storm.

One Streak Down, One Ankle to Watch

Atlanta improves to 13-9 and 7-3 at home, picking up its first win since June 22. "I think this past week we've been very intentional about getting back to Atlanta Dream basketball and doing what works best for us," Canada said. The Dream host Portland on Saturday, and the first thing anyone will want to know is the status of that ankle.

Seattle falls to 6-18 and 2-10 on the road, three days after an 82-64 win in Los Angeles gave it some hope. The Storm go to Washington on Sunday.

A Record and a Reminder

Streaks like the one Atlanta just ended have a way of making everyone forget what a team actually is. Five straight losses will do that. But this version of the Dream has an identity, and it looks like Howard jumping a passing lane, Canada pushing the ball and Reese cleaning up whatever's left. "We know when we come out aggressive on the defensive end that initiates our offense," Canada said. It's not complicated, and on Thursday it was enough for a win and a piece of WNBA history. Now they just need the star who made that history back on the floor by Saturday.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and WNBA.com. Postgame quotes as reported by the Atlanta Dream.