On Sunday night, in a list of firsts, Angel Reese won her maiden game against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever by an 88-87 margin. What stood out was that Reese attained her career-high points with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Therefore, a major credit for the Sky’s win went to Reese. On Monday, the celebrated sports journalist Monica McNutt came forward to laud Reese & Co. for their terrific display.

“The dog was activated in her and it really got this entire Chicago Sky Team going. She refused to be denied. The sky outscored the fever in the paint by 20 points,” McNutt said, via ESPN. McNutt was referring to the fact that while the Fever relied heavily on Caitlin Clark who did a commendable job by scoring 17 points and 13 assists, Reese & Co. outdid the Sky by 20 points in the paint. 

“Yeah, this game. It…it just got better because the fever did have a 15-point lead but the Sky and Angel, they pounded the paint and they…managed to make a comeback,” said McNutt. She stressed that by the end of the third quarter, the score was 72-64 in favor of Indiana, and from there, Sky scripted an unparalleled comeback to add 24 points in the last quarter and win the match.

McNutt also expounded how the Fever had scored six three-pointers in the first half. However, for the second, the Sky made some defensive adjustments that helped control the Fever as Chicago swept the game from under their opponent’s feet. 

“She’s quick off the ground. She knows when she misses a shot. She’s back to her own rebound. She’s in there mixing up with bigs. I think, an underrated part of her game is her ability to move without the basketball and her switch ability so far on defense,” McNutt added further in praise of Reese for her flawless game.

Surely, Reese has been quick through the game. Together with Kamilla Cardoso, they became the first WNBA rookie pair since 1998 to score double-doubles in multiple games. Thus, Reese accomplished three things- a career-high, a record-breaking double-double with Cardoso, an eighth consecutive double-double in the WNBA, and a win over their arch-rivals Indiana. However, it wasn’t only Reese that McNutt applauded.

Monica McNutt applauds another star

McNutt also applauded Mabrey for her exceptional tactics and how she helped them save a point in the paint by being on the defensive. While Mabrey performed 5 rebounds, she was exceptional not only on her defense but also on the offense where she scored a gritty 6 points in times of need.

“Marina Mabrey deserves a huge shout-out here because obviously if you shout slide this over Aliyah Boston is now the next threat. She’s got a bunch of space to operate in the paint. However, what’s going to happen is Mabrey’s going to touch up that allows Isabelle Harrison at 6’2” to get back in the action,” McNutt stated.

The win over Fever was a collective effort for the Chicago Sky. And as for the future matchups, one can hope that Reese along with her team will continue to battle against top teams and win those games just like she did against the Fever.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.