The Chicago Sky know the formula for Angel Reese\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
They spent the last two years cultivating and supporting the forward\u2019s tenacity on the boards. Her play in the paint was a key fixture of the Sky\u2019s attempts to build a new culture under head coach Tyler Marsh. But even that familiarity couldn\u2019t help the Sky outlast their former star in an 82-75 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, a game that marked Reese\u2019s first regular-season return to Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n For most of Tuesday\u2019s loss, the rematch between Reese and former teammate Kamilla Cardoso provided every ounce of its billed hype. Reese pestered Cardoso at the top of the key and tapped rebounds up and out of her reach on the offensive boards. Cardoso slammed the ball \u2014 and, by proxy, Reese \u2014 out of bounds with a block in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n Despite showing much-needed fight, the Sky still lack the legs to outlast a better opponent. The Dream scored four second-chance points fueled by offensive rebounds from Reese in the final two minutes, allowing Atlanta to crack open a double-digit lead after previously trailing in the clutch. Reese led Atlanta with 17 rebounds and 17 points, which included a rare 3-pointer in the first half. Another double-double from their former star plunged the Sky back into another skid of consecutive losses.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it takes a game coaching against her \u2014 once you\u2019ve coached her \u2014 to appreciate what (Reese) brings on a nightly basis,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cIt\u2019s really remarkable to watch. She\u2019s showing continuous improvement each year in her game, no matter what aspect of it is. \u2026 She\u2019s a competitor. She\u2019s a winner. She\u2019s a fighter. She\u2019s in a really, really good situation for her to continue to thrive and to compete for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n Reese earned an emphatic swell of cheers when she was introduced in the Dream starting lineup. Her No. 5 jersey dotted the stands. But Tuesday\u2019s game was also played in front of an undersold crowd at Wintrust Arena. Most of the Sky Deck sat empty. Long stretches of courtside seats remained unfilled. And the crowd reached its loudest fever pitch in the moments when Cardoso earned a jump ball with the score tied at the end of the third quarter.<\/p>\n 3 big risks the Chicago Sky took for the 2026 season \u2014 and why they aren\u2019t paying off<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Chicago fans loved Reese<\/a>, but they loved her most when she played for the Sky. Now, she\u2019s simply the latest addition to a lengthy list of beloved former stars who return to town a few times each season.<\/p>\n Two months after the fact, both sides of the trade are still a work in progress. The Dream are a top-three team in the WNBA with an 8-3 record. Reese is still the league\u2019s leading rebounder (11.7 per game) and could break her own offensive rebounding record if she maintains her current rate of 5.6 per game. Reese remains a shaky shooter whose offensive fit \u2014 while improved \u2014 isn\u2019t perfect in Atlanta. Still, the Dream are resoundingly bettered by her consistency on defense and on the boards.<\/p>\n The Sky, meanwhile, are struggling. They lost seven of their last eight games. They\u2019re only two games from the bottom rung of the league. And they don\u2019t own their first-round draft pick next year, which erases any silver lining for another losing season.<\/p>\n Injuries can be blamed, but can\u2019t be labeled a surprise due to general manager Jeff Pagliocca\u2019s decision to sign three injured players (Courtney Vandersloot, DiJonai Carrington<\/a> and Azur\u00e1 Stevens<\/a>) in free agency. But the Sky can\u2019t make 3s, contain the ball or stop themselves from fouling, key weaknesses that snuffed out any early positivity from a 3-1 start.<\/p>\n\n