A major upset was on the cards Friday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Currently placed at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Washington Mystics were able to avenge their Commissioner’s Cup defeat to Angel Reese and Co. They handed the visitors their third consecutive loss. Despite a record fifth-straight double-double (10 points and 14 rebounds) from the rookie, the lack of a collective team effort cost the team and Chicago fans are frustrated.

Right from the very start, the visitors looked rusty. A series of offensive and defensive struggles by Chicago had the Mystics on a 9-0 run in the opening minutes of the game. It all started with Dana Evans missing a 12-foot pullup jump shot and continued till Diamond DeShields’ unsuccessful 24-foot three-point attempt. Chicago missed 8 shots in total, spanning over 4 and a half minutes.

Finally, with 5:47 remaining in the opening quarter, the Sky’s No. 4 Marina Mabrey successfully made a 23-foot three-pointer to get the first points on the scoreboard for Chicago. However, till then, the hosts were able to get a significant advantage and closed the quarter with a 14-point lead.

Chicago then tried to pick up some pace by improving their accuracy to some extent in the second quarter. The next 10 minutes resulted in 49 points, 26 of which belonged to the Sky. Still, at the halfway mark, the Mystics had the upper hand with the scoreboard at 47-36 in favor of the home team.

The Sky rookie Angel Reese then started to capitalize on the rebounds. Consequently, this was instrumental in the team’s 14-6 run that leveled the score at 56 a piece with just 2:56 left in the third quarter. Anyhow, the momentum didn’t last for long with the Mystics ending the quarter having a 9-3 run of their own.

Despite Chicago scoring 22 points in the penultimate quarter, they fell short in the end. As it turned out, Marina Mabrey missed the 2 free throws and the contest concluded at 83-81. Following this, fans are flooding the internet with a special request for Angel Reese.

Fans demanding Angel Reese to step into a leadership role

Everyone is familiar with Angel Reese’s pep-talk during LSU’s Elite Eight clash with Iowa. ‘Stop taking dumb shots.’ This was the blunt advice by a fired-up Reese to her teammates back then. Now, one fan is expecting her to repeat that in the Chicago Sky locker room.

Angel Reese has always been a fierce competitor. She leaves no chance to let her opponents sense her ferocity on the hardwood. But many believe that she also has the credentials to be a commanding leader as well. One out of them who believe that expressed, “I like that…let it be known.” 

Meanwhile, many loved Angel Reese’s avatar in college basketball. Perhaps they haven’t seen that yet since she stepped inside the professional realm of the sport. One fan was eager to witness it soon from the rookie. “I’m waiting for this Angel Reese to come out.” 

Further, one of the observers assumed that Chicago’s clumsy shot-making was frustrating for Reese. The fan opined that she was getting fed up with it and soon everyone could see an outburst from her. The comment read, “Its coming! She trying to keep in since she a rookie but every game you see she starting to get fed up.” 

In the final minute of the game, Lindsay Allen missed a 25-foot three-point jumper. Some of the fans think that she could have passed the ball to Angel Reese, who was much closer to the basket and could have easily scored a layup. They also think that this could be one of the reasons why Chicago ended up losing by a close margin of 2 points. One of the comments reflected it as it read, “Me screaming at my TV to pass the ball… I know Angel was pissed. She deserves better.” 

Surely, these continuous losses will affect the overall morale of the team. Moreover, the fans are expecting Angel Reese to swing the tides in Chicago’s favor soon. We will have to wait and see what will transpire next for the franchise.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.