Angel Reese is enjoying a stellar season in Unrivaled.
After securing her Rose BC’s playoff spot with another strong performance, the star had some words for her critics before being hailed by Kevin Durant.
Reese impressed everyone in the arena on Monday night as she dropped another double-double in Rose’s 58-53 victory over the Laces.
The 23-year-old finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while shooting 7-of-14 from the field.
That double-double was Reese’s fifth of the campaign and came despite her slow start in the game, not finding her first bucket until the last two minutes of the first quarter.
However, after her first points, she dominated to help Rose secure their seventh victory of the season.
The win improved Rose to a 7-5 record, extended their winning streak to six, and secured them a playoff spot, while the Laces fell to 5-7.
Rose now sits in second place in the Unrivaled standings behind only the 10-1 Lunar Owls.
Reese’s recent displays have seen her attract praise from many a big name.
That’s why it was no shock that two-time NBA champion and Phoenix Suns star Durant recently gave a subtle shout-out to Reese.
When recently asked about his favorite female athlete, Durant quickly said, “Angel Reese.”
Durant, who is a two-time finals MVP averaging 26.7 points this season, is a widely respected basketball figure, so such praise is highly significant.
Reese’s teammates have also taken time to praise her with Rose BC and Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray shared kind words.
“She’s been putting extra time and putting extra work in. And it’s showing in some of these games,” Gray said of Reese.
“You could put a lot of work in and it still not go your way. But it’s the habits that create those moments.”
For the Chicago Sky star, she used her play-off securing win to hit back at critics, including ESPN.
The broadcaster released ranking predictions for Unrivaled before the season and placed Reese’s Rose team last.
So, when the side secured their playoff spot, Reese took to social media to quote a screenshot of the ranking and captioned it, “The 6th place TikTok team,” with an embarrassed emoji.
The Rose will now focus on their next matchup against the first-place Lunar Owls on Friday as they look to keep their momentum going into the upcoming Unrivaled playoffs.
