In a clash of two top Eastern Conference teams, the Atlanta Dream fell below the pecking order. Angel Reese and co. faced a 14-point defeat against the NY Liberty, ending their two-game winning streak on Thursday. But more than the loss, it was Reese’s on-court antics towards Breanna Stewart that had the hoops community talking.

The moment occurred in the third quarter, when the Liberty led 56-54. Reese was in a perfect position to score from the paint, as she had done all night. Meanwhile, Stewie was trying to guard her and hold her off from behind.

But none of it mattered as Reese turned left swiftly to score a layup over Stewart and settle the scores at 56-56. Reese followed this layup with a nonchalant “too small” gesture towards Stewart while moving towards her half of the court. ESPNW took to their Instagram to even share this entire sequence of play.

“Angel Reese hit Stewie with a ‘too small’ 🤏,” the caption of the post read.

Angel Reese dominated the night with 25 points and 9 rebounds in her team’s 104-90 loss. Reese scored 50% from the field. Despite her season-high scoring night, the fans weren’t quite satisfied with her due to her gestures.

To be honest, the moment did ask for an aggressive celebration. After all, Reese’s two-pointer allowed them to bridge a 7-point gap that they had entering the third quarter. Furthermore, this celebration has been a recurring one from Bayou Barbie’s side this season.

Even in the fourth quarter, Reese made a similar “too small” gesture towards rookie Pauline Astier, as per USA Today. In fact, the Atlanta forward was aggressive throughout the game and even accumulated five personal fouls in the game.

We even saw her gesture during the Atlanta Dream-Dallas Wings game, when Reese gestured towards Odyssey Sims. But given the circumstances and the game’s results, many netizens felt the gesture wasn’t fitting, especially towards a veteran like Breanna Stewart. And, quite naturally, they didn’t mince their words when sharing their perspectives.

Fans Emphasize the Picture of the Game While Rallying Against Angel Reese’s Gesture

Angel Reese’s gesture towards Breanna Stewart came at a moment of heat during the Dream’s game against the Liberty. However, some netizens were not quite pleased with Reese’s actions directed at a veteran at Stewie’s level.

“They lost chill,” a fan wrote.

“Just goes to show you how ignorant she is. Everything she does is for attention. I love when somebody’s losing, and they try showing off. Typical of her,” stated another.

Without a doubt, Angel Reese had the best scoring night of her season in this game. And doing it against a stacked frontcourt of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Satou Sabally is never easy. Thus, her performance, of course, deserves the props.

But it doesn’t hide the fact that they were outplayed by the Liberty. They capitalized on their offense perfectly, scoring 54% from the field and 52% from downtown. Reese’s celebration in such a game didn’t go well at the end of the day, and the fans were quick to hold it against her.

“She just be throwing the ball up lol,” remarked another netizen.

“So corny man. Stop this celebration bruh,” chimed in another.

Some fans even pinpointed Reese’s performance while criticizing her gesture. Despite her season-best scoring night, the Bayou Barbie did miss 11 times from the field and even missed all of her three-pointer attempts.

“Stewart should have hit her with the same ring point to her finger she did to Caitlin,” shared a fan.

Another fan took a trip down memory lane to the 2023 NCAA Championship finals when Reese gestured to Caitlin Clark with a “ring finger” celebration after winning the game. The fan even felt it would be fitting if Breanna Stewart made the same gesture towards Reese to humble her after winning the game.

The NY Liberty veteran even had a stellar performance in her team’s win. Stewie scored 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists to anchor her team to a sixth consecutive W this season. Meanwhile, Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream will need to move to the drawing board quickly.

The game exposed several flaws that they had never faced before this season. They were massively outrebounded, 40-24, in the game. Furthermore, they struggled on defense throughout the game, allowing Liberty to shoot over 50% from the field. And if that was not enough, they left 12 points unused from the free-throw line.

Angel Reese’s, Allisha Gray’s (18 points), and Rhyne Howard’s (24 points) individual performances are definitely a silver lining. But the team stat line is a major glaring hole for them. They are still 8-4 on the season, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta faces the NY Liberty up next on June 14 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.