The Sparks fell 78-71 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, Aug. 25, as Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese grabbed 26 rebounds and shattered two WNBA records in front of the Los Angeles crowd.

Reese's 26 boards topped Chamique Holdsclaw's single-game mark of 24, set in May 2003 for the Washington Mystics. The performance also pushed Reese to 458 rebounds this season, seven clear of A'ja Wilson's record of 451 set in 2024. She finished with 18 defensive rebounds and eight offensive boards. The Sparks, as a team, had 32.

"Last time I was here, I didn't miss any shots. Tonight I couldn't hit (anything), so I knew I was going to be able to get them on the rebounding side," Reese told ESPN after the game. "I just want to be there for my team."

Reese added 11 points, clinching her league-leading 27th double-double of the season on a basket with 13.9 seconds remaining.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts called Reese "elite," according to the LA Sentinel, noting her eight offensive rebounds and physicality in getting defenders out of position.

Ogwumike leads Sparks with 27 points

Nneka Ogwumike, the franchise's all-time leading scorer and 2016 WNBA MVP who announced her retirement Aug. 19 after 15 seasons, led all scorers with 27 points and added 16 rebounds. She is averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field in her final campaign.

Cameron Brink came off the bench with 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Dearica Hamby also scored 15 for Los Angeles.

Dream pull away in second half

Atlanta trailed 37-36 at halftime before opening the third quarter on a 9-2 run. The Dream started the fourth on another 9-2 burst, building a 71-57 lead with 6:57 remaining. Los Angeles cut the deficit but never seriously threatened down the stretch.

Allisha Gray led Atlanta (25-13) with 20 points and set a franchise record for field goals in a season with 247. Rhyne Howard added 18 points, eclipsing 3,000 for her career.

The win extended Atlanta's streak over the Sparks to nine straight and gave the Dream four consecutive road victories. Atlanta, which clinched a playoff berth ahead of Monday's game, will send Reese to the postseason for the first time.

The Sparks (13-25), who according to ESPN are likely to miss the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, host the Washington Mystics on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. Atlanta has six regular-season games remaining, with Reese averaging a league-best 12.0 rebounds per game.