Angel Reese facing punishment after reaching WNBA Finals

Dubai: Angel Reese is facing a $500 (Dh 1,836) fine after picking up her second technical foul of the WNBA playoffs as the Atlanta Dream swept the New York Liberty to reach the Finals for the first time since 2013.

The Dream secured an 85-83 victory in Game 3 of their semifinal series at Barclays Centre on Friday, completing a 3-0 sweep. Reese led Atlanta with 22 points, while Rhyne Howard added 21 to help the team seal its place in the championship series.

Nevertheless, Reese was involved in a heated exchange with Liberty forward Jonquel Jones during the second quarter, with both players receiving offsetting technical fouls.

The incident occurred with 3:17 remaining in the first half, when Jones denied Reese at the basket before the two exchanged words while standing face-to-face. Teammates intervened to separate them.

Reese’s second technical foul of the postseason leaves her two away from an automatic one-game suspension under WNBA rules. Players and coaches are suspended for one game after receiving their fourth technical foul in the playoffs, with each additional technical also carrying a $1,500 (Dh 5,508) fine.

The Atlanta forward had already received a technical during the Dream’s first-round series against the Washington Mystics. The league can rescind technical fouls following a review.

Reese was involved in another confrontation earlier in the second quarter, this time with Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. She approached Ionescu after an incident involving Dream guard Isobel Borlase, repeatedly telling her, “Don’t do that.”

Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard also moved towards Ionescu as players gathered around them. However, officials did not issue any technical fouls after reviewing the incident, ruling that no hostile act had occurred.

Reese finished the regular season with seven technical fouls, narrowly avoiding suspension after the league’s eight-foul threshold. Her technical foul count reset for the playoffs, where the suspension threshold is lower.

She previously served a one-game suspension in September 2025 after exceeding the regular-season technical foul limit while playing for the Chicago Sky.