Angel Reese’s historic third consecutive 20-rebound game is going viral for all the wrong reasons

Gilbert McGregor

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Angel Reese’s historic third consecutive 20-rebound game is going viral for all the wrong reasons image

Angel Reese has done it again.

The star WNBA rookie has rewritten the history book with her third consecutive game with 20-plus rebounds, turning in an 11-point, 22-rebound effort in the Sky's heartbreaking 77-75 loss to the two-time defending champion Aces.

Reese is the first player in WNBA history to turn in three consecutive games of 20 or more rebounds. Adding to the lore of her feat is that she is doing so as a 22-year-old rookie, indicating that the best is yet to come in her career.

Impressive as Reese's numbers were, one particular sequence from her performance is going viral for the wrong reasons. Here is a closer look at what happened and why it shouldn't be used against the rookie.

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Angel Reese viral rebounding sequence

Reese, who entered the fourth quarter with just three offensive rebounds for Chicago, added four to her tally in under 10 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly — Reese picked up four offensive boards in nine seconds.

After grabbing a long rebound at the free-throw circle, Reese drove in to attempt to score on reigning Defensive Player of the Year A'ja Wilson. Reese missed her first attempt, wrangled the offensive rebound, then missed another attempt, which she failed to tip back in.

Reese grabbed the missed tip-in for the fourth offensive rebound of the sequence and drew a foul, sending her to the line, where she secured a double-double with her free throws.

Throughout her rookie season, Reese has been criticized for inefficiency around the rim and allegations of stat padding — and indeed, social media critics drew attention to this sequence as a prime example. But a closer look would prove otherwise.

For starters, Wilson is one of the toughest players to score on — or to rebound against — around the rim. That Reese was so persistent around the glass is a reminder of her unique skill and second burst as an offensive rebounder, something Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett has taken notice of.

As for the stat padding, Sporting News' Stephen Noh has disproven those claims, which should be put to rest for good.

MORE: A'ja Wilson grabs attention with mid-game interview criticizing officials

Angel Reese stats today vs. Aces

Reese turned in a complete game against Las Vegas despite the loss, finishing with her 22nd double-double of the season thanks in part to her domination on the boards. In addition to her scoring and rebounding, Reese blocked two shots and dished out an assist.

  • 11 points
  • 22 rebounds (10 offensive)
  • 1 assist
  • 2 blocks
  • 3 turnovers
  • 4-16 (25.0 percent) field goal shooting
  • 3-4 (75.0 percent) free throw shooting

With Sunday's loss, Chicago has now dropped three games in a row and is in danger of falling out of the WNBA playoff picture.

Despite the circumstances, Reese posted an encouraging message on X (formerly Twitter), which can be interpreted as both an outlook for the season's stretch run and her run of impressive performances.

"If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. We good! #skytown"

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.