Angel Reese’s Rough Home Debut Ends in Dream Loss to Aces

Angel Reese had a rough go of it in her first home game for the Atlanta Dream.

Atlanta battled back from a big deficit, before falling to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 85-84 courtesy of a clutch bucket from Chelsea Gray.

Reese, who was surely a factor in the Dream's home opener selling out, wasn't much of one on the floor in the loss. Reese was just 1-8 from the field, struggling to finish inside. She also had a game-high 8 turnovers (Reese now leads the WNBA in that category) and was a -13 in 29 minutes of action.

The former Chicago Sky star had made a positive impact for Atlanta in her first two contests, but couldn't find her game in front of the home fans.

Chelsea Gray Plays Hero for Vegas

Chelsea Gray of Aces — May 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) shoots against the Atlanta Dream in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Chelsea Gray is no stranger to big shots, and she added another to her ledger against Atlanta.

The veteran star made a 12-foot jumper to put Las Vegas ahead for good with 3.6 seconds left. Gray's ability to create for herself in the midrange makes her a unique weapon in late-game situations. It also helped her capture the 1v1 crown at Unrivaled.

Madina Okot Impresses for Atlanta

Madina Okot of Dream — May 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Dream center Madina Okot (11) shoots as Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) defends during the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Dream's starting frontcourt had issues getting going (Naz Hillmon was 2-9 to go along with Reese's 1-8), but it was offset in part due to the performance of the rookie Atlanta took in the WNBA Draft.

Okot was selected with the 13th pick out of South Carolina and her size has translated to the pros immediately. She had 14 points and 11 rebounds in leading Atlanta's second-half surge to get back into the contest.

That was in only 16 minutes. The rookie certainly gave coach Karl Smesko a reason to give her more run going forward. The distribution of minutes up front for Atlanta will be story to watch once Brionna Jones is back in the lineup.

Jackie Young Struggles, Chennedy Carter Thrives

Jackie Young and Allisha Gray — May 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) grabs a loose ball under Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Aces were able to withstand perhaps the worst performance of Jackie Young's career due to the play of Chennedy Carter.

Young was 0-12 from the field and scoreless. But Carter came off the bench to pour in 21 points in just 20 minutes for Vegas. Carter has turned out to be the steal of the offseason and it appears her role will only grow for coach Becky Hammon.

It was an exciting and eventful game as the Aces pulled out the win in a successful WNBA return to NBC.

Add us as a preferred source on Google