Angel Reese’s reaction said it all. During the Indiana Fever’s clash with the Atlanta Dream, Caitlin Clark looked set to put Indiana ahead when she drove into the lane with the score tied at 15-15 early in the second quarter. Instead, Dream Center Madina Okot stepped in and rejected the layup attempt, drawing an immediate response from Reese.

Fired up by the defensive stop, she rushed over to celebrate with Okot, with a chest bump, as her real-time reaction was caught on mic as the Dream fed off the momentum-changing play.

As per Sports on Prime, the mics also caught the Atlanta forward saying “Gimme that s***” in the heat of the moment.

This instance, after 1o long months, was a reminder of the competitive rivalry Reese and Clark have shared through the years.

It goes way back into their collegiate days, when both were competing against each other during their stints at LSU and Iowa. One of the most highlight moments of their rivalry was when Angel Reese hit Clark with a “You can’t see me” gesture during the 2023 NCAA Championship game.

Furthermore, when both young stars entered the WNBA, the friction between them showed no signs of smoothing. During the 2025 season opener, Clark was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on Reese as the latter drove toward the basket, sending the Sky forward crashing hard to the floor. This almost led to a verbal altercation between the two until Aliyah Boston stepped in.

Yet, that fierce competitive edge has not carried over when the two share a jersey. Suiting up for Team USA at the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico earlier this year, Clark and Reese channeled that intensity into a shared mission, helping Team USA sweep the tournament 5-0.

During an ESPN broadcast in 2024, ChiBarbie even claimed there was no sheer animosity between her and Clark. But the sheer competitive spirit to win against the other still persists. And Reese’s animated celebration and verbal reaction were just the perfect testament to it.

However, this elation didn’t last long for Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever picked up the scoring after the blocked shot and went on to score 23 points in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 9-point advantage.

CC scored 5 points and dished out 3 assists after that blocked shot in the second quarter. The Fever also maintained their healthy lead in the second half, outscoring Atlanta in both the third and fourth quarters to clinch the win. Atlanta rallied well in the third quarter and even took the lead at the 43-42 mark.

But Clark came to the rescue once again. She first set up Aliyah Boston for a layup and immediately, in the next play, scored a 25-foot three-point step-back jumpshot to extend Indiana’s lead. The Fever eventually won the game 71-83 in their WNBA Commissioner’s Cup opener, as Clark improved her record against Reese to 5-1 in the league.

She eventually finished with 17 points and 8 assists, an impressive performance given she wasn’t fully fit and even threw up at halftime. Head coach Stephanie White also heaped praise on CC’s tenacity in her role during the game.

“I think the way that she handled the game, knowing when to push and when to give it up, when to take the shot, and when to slow down,” White said, according to the press-conference video shared by reporter Tony East. “I thought she managed the game, especially in that (third) quarter, really well.”

Meanwhile, Angel Reese also had a decent game, where she recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. But Atlanta’s cold shooting night with just 34% from the field was never going to be enough to outplay a stacked Indiana Fever team. But even in this win, Caitlin Clark feels that her game wasn’t perfect on the night.

Caitlin Clark Feels She Needed to Shoot the Ball Better Against Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream

Caitlin Clark’s game against Atlanta is a massive turnaround after her dismal night against the Portland Fire. Against Fire, CC just went once from the field and managed zero successful shots from beyond the arc. In that regard, the Atlanta performance was a positive signal for CC. She went 6 of 17 from the field and 2 of 8 from deep.

Yet despite that, Clark feels she needed to shoot the ball better in the game. “I would have loved to shoot the ball a little bit better,” Clark said, according to the YouTube video shared by reporter Tony East. “Even if a couple more go down, not that I shot it horribly. But other than this, I feel like this is probably one of the best floor games I have played in a really long time. I thought I guarded really well, and I was aggressive on defense.”

From a team perspective, the Indiana Fever had a hot shooting night. The Fever went 48% from the field and 43% from deep. But an even more impressive fact from the game was that they outrebounded Atlanta, a team featuring Angel Reese, who thrives on second-chance opportunities.

Clark and team had 35 on the glass while the Dream settled for 30. In her post-game interview, CC specifically highlighted this feat. “I think we cleaned up the glass better than other teams that have played them,” CC said. “Obviously, that’s what they do really well. They get second-chance points. They get points off turnovers. We took care of the ball decently well.”

All in all, the game was shaped by an all-around performance for the Indiana Fever. It also marked Fever’s return to winning ways after back-to-back games against Golden State and Portland. Caitlin Clark’s team is now 5-4 in the season. Their next game is scheduled against the NY Liberty on June 6 at the Barclays Center.