Caitlin Clark laughs as Angel Reese misses game-winner
Caitlin Clark was caught smiling on the broadcast after Angel Reese and two Atlanta Dream teammates missed potential game-winners with the score tied 81-81. Indiana won 95-91 in overtime on August 16, 2026, at State Farm Arena. Angel Reese stats from the loss showed 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 5-of-16 shooting, including a late layup that could have sealed it.
Key Takeaways
- Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, and Naz Hillmon all missed in the final seconds of regulation at 81-81; the Indiana Fever then won 95-91 in overtime.
- Cameras caught Clark smirking behind a frustrated Reese, a clip WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita called an "absolute menace" meme.
- Reese posted a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double but went 5-of-16, scored zero points in the fourth quarter, and missed 9 of 13 shots from within 5 feet.
- The Fever sit fourth with a 1.5-game cushion on the Dream (21-13), who were without Jordin Canada and Brionna Jones.
Why did Caitlin Clark's reaction go viral?
Tied at 81-81 in Atlanta, Howard heaved a last-second 3-pointer that missed. Reese recovered the rebound and missed a layup that would have won the game. Hillmon then missed as well, sending the contest to overtime.
As Dream teammates consoled Reese, the broadcast showed Clark walking toward the Indiana bench, smiling. Slow-motion clips that spread online appear to catch her smirking from behind Reese for a split second. The moment quickly joined other viral sports clips in our bizarre news coverage.
On her Courtside Club YouTube show, analyst Rachel DeMita said the meme was "so funny," describing Clark as "looking like an absolute menace." DeMita called it "something fun and light and funny and a great meme," Yahoo Sports reported.
What do Angel Reese stats show from Sunday's loss?
Reese played 38 minutes and finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds (five offensive), and six assists, plus four turnovers. She was 5-for-16 from the field and scoreless in the fourth quarter. Indiana invited her to shoot 3-pointers, and she missed both attempts.
Per WNBA tracking data cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reese is making 48% of her attempts from within 5 feet of the basket, the lowest mark among 18 players with at least five such tries per game. Shakira Austin ranks second-worst, about 10 percentage points better. On Sunday, Reese missed 9 of 13 shots from that range, including the potential winner.
The same rim trouble showed up earlier. With Indiana's defenders well behind her on a first-half fast break, Reese missed badly at the rim. She also missed a layup when the score was 6-6 in the first quarter. At halftime she told reporter Holly Rowe she was "playing like s— in the beginning."
Reese did not speak to reporters after the game. On the season she is 6-for-43 from 3-point range (14%), the lowest accuracy among players with at least 40 attempts, the AJC reported.
Did one missed layup decide the Dream's overtime loss?
Dream guard Allisha Gray refused to pin the defeat on one play. "It happens," she said. "We know any other time, Angel will make the shot. She knows she'll make the shot."
Gray said teammates had to encourage Reese in the moment and stressed that "no one person lost us the game." She called the group "a sisterhood" and said she would "put everything on the line that the next time she gets a shot like that, she'll make it 100%."
Atlanta shot 35.3% overall and 8-of-32 from beyond the arc. The Dream (21-13) were missing starter Jordin Canada (illness) and bench player Brionna Jones (leg) and still pushed fourth-place Indiana (23-12) to the limit, Bleacher Report noted.
The Fever have won four straight and 12 of 16 since the start of July. Clark recently lived a similar closing miss, failing on two free throws against the Las Vegas Aces before an 86-84 overtime defeat. "Those are free throws I usually make and certainly frustrating," she told reporters then.
Indiana now holds a 1.5-game cushion in fourth place. Bleacher Report said Sunday's outcome "may play a decisive role in where they both finish."