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Angel Reese, NaLyssa Smith Receive Technical Fouls After Spirited Exchange

WNBA standouts Angel Reese and NaLyssa Smith received double technical fouls on Saturday's Sky vs. Wings game because of a heated exchange.
Grant Young|
May 31, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith (1) reacts after a play against the Chicago Sky during the first half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
May 31, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith (1) reacts after a play against the Chicago Sky during the first half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Chicago Sky won their second consecutive game on May 31, as they defeated the Dallas Wings (who they also beat just two days ago) by a score of 94-83.

Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes. And there were some chippy moments during Saturday's showdown that could have been the byproduct of these two teams playing the past 80 minutes of game time against each other.

Then again, given that this chippiness occurred between Sky star Angel Reese and Wings forward NaLyssa Smith (who have a history of jawing back and forth at each other), perhaps this was always going to occur.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Smith received a pass in the post and was fouled relatively hard by Reese in the back while going for a shot, and Reese seemed to accentuate the foul with a bit of a shove.

This clearly upset Smith, as she slammed the ball on the ground. Reese began arguing with the referee while Smith began arguing with her. Then Reese quickly pivoted to talking back to Smith, which continued for a few seconds before the referee assessed them both a technical foul.

Reese and Smith had several battles during the 2024 season, when Reese was a rookie and Smith was still on the Indiana Fever. It seems that there's no love lost between these two, especially when they're both competing on the basketball court.

However, Reese ultimately gets the last laugh because her team emerged with the win, despite Smith outscoring her 20-14 in the game.

These two teams will face off again on July 9, hopefully with Paige Bueckers back on the court.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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