Emotions are running high in Game 3 of the WNBA playoff semifinal round between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty as the Liberty look to stave off elimination after dropping 0-2 in the best-of-five series.
Dream forward Angel Reese
and Liberty forward Jonquel Jones were called for offsetting double technical fouls in the second quarter of Game 3 on Friday, Oct. 9, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.The incident happened with 3:17 remaining in the first half as the Dream led 31-29. Reese was denied at the basket by Jones, who gave Reese a little push with her chest as momentum carried her into the sidelines. Reese and Jones exchanged some words while standing chest-to-chest before teammates separated the two players.
Reese and Jones
were immediately teed up. It marks Reese's second technical foul of the WNBA postseason after she picked up a tech in the Dream's 93-75 Game 2 win over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the first-round, moving Reese two technical fouls away from suspension.
Under WNBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended for one game upon receiving their fourth technical foul during the postseason. Each additional technical comes with a $1,500 fine and every two additional technical fouls during the WNBA playoffs result in an additional one-game suspension.
Reese will receive a $500 fine for her second technical foul of the postseason. The league may rescind every technical or flagrant foul assessed during each game.
Earlier in the second quarter, Reese was involved in another exchange with Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and the two had to be separated. With 6:06 remaining in the second quarter, Ionescu appeared to take issue with Isobel Borlase pushing off on a layup. On the following possession, Ionescu pushed Borlase and was called for an offensive foul. After the whistle, Reese ran over to Ionescu and repeatedly told her “don’t do that.” Rhyne Howard pushed Ionescu as she ran to Reese’s side.
No technical fouls were called following the exchange. After a review, the referee determined no hostile act occurred, saying a heat of the moment reaction is allowed.
Reese, a 6-foot-4 forward, finished the regular season with seven technical fouls, narrowly avoiding a one-game suspension assessed by the league upon receiving an eighth technical foul. Each player and coach's technical foul count resets at the end of the regular season, but only three techs are allowed in the postseason before earning a one-game suspension.
Reese previously exceeded the technical foul limit during the 2025 WNBA regular season while playing for the Chicago Sky and served out a one-game suspension on Sept. 5, 2025.
WNBA playoff technical fouls thresholds
According to the WNBA, the playoff technical foul penalties are as follows:
- Technical Fouls 1-2: $500 fine each
- Technical Foul 3: $1,000 fine (warning letter issued after violator’s 3rd technical)
- Technical Foul 4: $1,500 fine plus one-game suspension
- Each additional Technical Foul: $1,500 fine
- Each Two additional Technical Fouls (6, 8,10, etc.) $1,500 fine plus one-game suspension
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese and Jonquel Jones called for double technical fouls in Game 3
