She’s got her own Barbie. As of today, she’s got her own Barbie-branded colorway of her signature Reebok shoe. In between, she held a successful back-to-school drive.
Yep, Angel Reese does it all.
And she’s going to give it her
all to make sure the Atlanta Dream prevail over the Las Vegas Aces in the Barbie Game at State Farm Arena (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN).
Reese has built an impressive, extensive brand.
Yet, she understands that brand is founded on basketball. So, from when the ball is tipped until the buzzer sounds, Reese commits herself to the court and does whatever is demanded—grabbing boards, running the floor, protecting the rim, deflecting passes, finishing at the rim, finding her teammates, calling for reviews and even hitting corners 3s—to help the Dream win.
There’s no doubt that Angel is going to come to play on Monday night. Will the rest of the Dream also be ready?
Atlanta has lost six-straight games to Vegas, a skid that extends well before Angel’s arrival. To break that streak of Ls, they need A LOT more than Angel’s all-out effort.
Rhyne Howard, in particular, is overdue for an outburst.
Howard’s impact often exceeds the stat sheet. Even when her shot is off, she remains Atlanta’s most dangerous offensive player, attracting the attention of the opponent because of the threat of her three-level scoring. Her urgency and aggressive can appear to wane. Yet, when she’s gets on a heater, all is forgiven. On the other end of the floor, there’s no questioning Howard, as she has embraced her identity as a defensive menace.
Still, an efficient outing from Howard would ease the anxieties of Atlanta fans. She hasn’t scored over 20 points since July 2. In nine July games, her scoring average dropped to 13.6 points per game on less than 36 percent shooting. From deep, she’s still taking close to nine triples a game, but making barely 32 percent of them.
The slump buster has to come soon, although the Aces will be committed to making sure it doesn’t happen on Monday night, as Micahya Costen has covered.
Despite Howard’s struggles, the Dream have managed to string together five-straight wins because of their other weapons. Reese has been excellent, with a double-double of at least 20 points in four of Atlanta’s five wins. Allisha Gray also has been pouring in the points, netting a season-high 29 points in the Dream’s final game before the All-Star break.
Plus, Brionna Jones is still ramping up, although, in classic Breezy fashion, the Dream have a team-best +6.8-per-game scoring margin in her 69 minutes.
So, will the Dream celebrate their Barbie Game with an elusive win over the Aces? Or, will A’ja Wilson, in close proximity to her South Carolina stomping grounds, continue to own Atlanta?
Could Chicago finish the season stronger than Phoenix?
In trading away Reese during the offseason, the Chicago Sky also traded the Barbie Game to Atlanta. However, the pre-eminent trade deadline acquisition will be in the Windy City on Monday night.
The Phoenix Mercury, now with Kelsey Plum, take on the Sky (9 p.m. ET, USA Network).
Plum is listed as “questionable,” and if she does suit up, it is expected she will be on a minutes limit, as she last played for the Los Angeles Sparks on June 21 due to a leg injury.
Plum’s lingering injury makes Phoenix’s decision to send out what is likely to be a 2027 lottery pick (and more) for her all the more puzzling.
A team can signal their commitment to pushing for playoffs by making a star swing, but if that team is seven games under .500 and in 11th place in the standings, it doesn’t mean that their ambitions will become reality.
The Sky, like the Mercury, had envisioned this season ending with a trip to the postseason until injuries spoiled Chicago’s intentions.
The Sky, however, resisted a hasty overreaction to their woes, including not aggressively shopping Skylar Diggins only to accept a poor return. An organization known for expending valuable assets on questionable moves, the Sky should be applauded for sitting tight and accepting their fate.
And of late, that fate isn’t looking too bad.
The Sky have won four of their last six games, with those two losses coming by a combined three points. Possibly, Sydney Taylor’s buzzer-beating 3, which shocked the Aces and finally gave the Sky a clutch win, will mark a change in fortunes for the seemingly-cursed franchise.
In addition to Taylor’s ascendance, the return of DiJonai Carrington gives Sky fans further reason to feel hopeful about a fun end to the 2026 season. In two games, Carrington has played an average of 18 minutes and scored almost 10 points per contest. Encouragingly, she’s quickly found her scoring stroke, while also showing no hints of hesitancy about providing physical, effortful defense.
It’s quite possible that Carrington, who is essentially functioning as a deadline addition for the Sky, could be more impactful than Plum, resulting in Chicago finishing ahead of Phoenix in the final standings.
What do you think? Moving forward, do you have more confidence in the Plum-powered Mercury or a Sky squad benefitting from the surging Taylor and a finally-healthy Carrington?
