Getting hit in the face is not going to stop Angel Reese from playing in her first-ever playoff game. As the Atlanta Dream get ready to face the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs, coach Karl Smesko has hinted that they might have Reese back in action for the first game, as the Dream management has taken her off the injury report.

“She seems to be in great spirits. She’s had a couple of really good practices. I think she’s excited about being in the playoffs this time of year,” Smesko said on Saturday, just a day before the Dream face the Mystics. “We all know how great she’s been; she’s been great all year, down the stretch, she’s been.”

There was some speculation around Reese’s status after her abrupt exit in the win against the New York Liberty on Wednesday night. With just around 5.6 seconds left in the second quarter of the game, Reese took an elbow to the face from Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu.

The play was immediately reviewed by the officials, and the foul was upgraded to a flagrant one. While Reese came back from the locker room to make two of her free throws, she exited again and did not feature for the rest of the game, although she did return to the bench with around 6:19 left in the third quarter.

“She was cleared, but we made a decision that it would be smart for her to sit out the second half,” HC Karl Smesko said after the game.

Having Reese back is certainly good news for this Atlanta team. They have qualified as the fourth seed with a 30-14 record, and Angel Reese has been a towering figure in their frontcourt.

Reese has made herself indispensable in Atlanta’s tactical gameplay, averaging a career-high 16.4 points per game, but it’s her contributions in the paint and around the rim that have earned her several WNBA milestones this season. Contributing 12.1 rebounds while adding 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, she extended her league record for most double-doubles in a season, with her 32nd double-double on Monday against the Liberty.

This also moved her level with Hall of Famer Yolanda Griffith for 12th on the WNBA’s all-time double-doubles list.

Earlier in the month, Reese became the first player in WNBA history to surpass 500 rebounds in a single season. She currently has 521 rebounds this season, and Reese has hinted that she has no intention of taking her foot off the accelerator.

“Anything that goes up is mine,” she said on August 24. “I want to be one of (the best) when I walk away from the game. So just being able to … be consistent every night is something I’m looking forward to doing.”

Coupling Reese’s dominance in the paint with some efficient shooting from Rhyne Howard, the Dream has all the pieces to make a deep playoff run. With four different players—Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, and Jordin Canada—scoring in double digits throughout the season, Atlanta has shown that they are not dependent on any one player for its output.

However, ruling out the Washington Mystics, who have been the surprise package in the WNBA this year, would be a mistake.

Riding on a young core of stars such as Sonia Citron and Georgia Amoore, the Mystics have shown that they are capable of beating any team on their day, and against the Dream, the Mystics have shown that they can contain Reese and Co. when needed, having won two of their three matchups this season.

However, Atlanta’s 109-77 thrashing on June 6 is a testament to the Dream’s capability when firing on all cylinders. They caught the Mystics off guard in that game, and that outing serves as a cautionary reminder of the Mystics’ shortcomings.

By all standards, this promises to be an exciting series for the fans.