Angel Reese entered Game 6 of the WNBA Finals with something to prove. It’s win or go home for the Atlanta Dream, and in the previous two games the Valkyries had effectively kept her quiet. And with the championship on the line, Reese showed just how determined she was to redeem herself in one particular play in the first quarter, finishing through contact before turning toward the Valkyries bench to celebrate.

The said play happened with 5:41 remaining in the opening period. As seen in a clip shared by Haters Report on X, Reese took a pass from Allisha Gray, drove toward the basket, and finished the layup through contact despite Kiah Stokes bodying up to defend the rim. The finish fired her up so much that, while celebrating, she turned and clapped directly in the direction of the Valkyries bench.

The basket put the Dream up 10-5, and they went on to win the first quarter 32-15. Reese herself scored four points in the quarter, adding two more from the free-throw line. Against a defence as stingy as Golden State’s, every point counts.

Angel Reese has been a key driving force behind Atlanta’s Finals run, particularly in the two games the Dream won. After a Game 1 loss in which the Valkyries held her to 14 points and 12 rebounds, she came back in Game 2 with a franchise-record 30 points and 16 rebounds. That production carried into Game 3, where she delivered 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals in a commanding 97-71 victory.

Games 4 and 5, however, saw Golden State limit her again. In Game 4 she managed only eight points on 2-of-12 shooting, with nine rebounds, as the Valkyries won 67-62 to tie the series. In Game 5, with the Valkyries locking down the paint, she finished with seven points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a 64-55 loss that handed Golden State a 3-2 series lead. One more win would give the Valkyries their first franchise championship.

The Dream came into Game 6 intent on stopping that from happening. Whether or not Angel Reese reproduced her Game 2 and 3 numbers, they found a way to win the half, heading into the break with a commanding 46-26 lead. And Reese contributed seven points over those two quarters.

It was a first half that showed what Atlanta can be when its energy, its defence, and its star all arrive together. Whether that lead survives the second half will decide whether this series goes to a Game 7 at Chase Center, but at the break, Reese and the Dream had delivered exactly the response they needed.