Dream's Smesko backs Reese, fed up with refs missing 'ridiculous' contact

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  Kendra AndrewsOct 27, 2026, 12:54 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO -- A frustrated Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko stood defiantly behind star center Angel Reese on Monday night, criticizing officials for missing what he called a "ridiculous" amount of contact in Monday night's 64-55 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

Reese finished with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and went 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the loss, which put Atlanta in a 3-2 series hole.

"I give [the Valkyries] credit for playing good defense, they're known for their defense," Smesko said. "But I want to have Angel's back here. The contact on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous. Just ridiculous."

He added about the officiating: "You can't be at this level and make that many mistakes."

Smesko's main point of contention was what he felt to be a number of missed calls against Reese. He also said he felt there were a number of missed double-dribbles and travel calls against the Valkyries.

Reese shared in the frustration, saying the physical play and questionable officiating have been a recurring theme for her this year.

"I am still trying to figure out how to play through the physicality," said Reese, who was also called for four personal fouls. "I'm kind of used to it because this was happening throughout the season, so I have to just continue to play through it. But honestly, for my teammates, when they're getting slapped to the floor or knocked off, it's a little frustrating."

She continued: "I know I have the mismatch, especially talking about matchups. So when I do switch on the post and I'm a lot stronger than the opponent, I should be able to turn and they're calling an offensive foul. But when I'm getting pushed before that, it's frustrating to me."

It's the first time in Reese's career she has had consecutive games with two or fewer field goals, in the regular season or postseason. It's just the second time she has been held to single-digit scoring in consecutive games (2024).

In Game 4, Reese had eight points on 2-of-12 shooting and hit four of her six attempted free throws. She had four fouls in that game, as well.

Reese said she felt a shift in officiating in Game 4.

Atlanta took 116 free throws in the first four games (29.0 per game). In Games 2, 3 and 4, the Dream became the second team to attempt at least 25 free throws in three straight Finals games in WNBA history, according to ESPN Insights.

As a team, the Dream shot 11-of-14 from the free throw line on Monday, the fewest free throw attempts they've had in a game this postseason. It's tied for their second-fewest in any game this season.

"It definitely shifted when we went up 2-1," Reese said. "I don't know what happened, but it definitely took a big turn."

Overall, Game 5 was a historically bad scoring night for both teams. The Valkyries' 64 points were the fewest in a Finals win since the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, and the Dream's 55 were the fewest in a Finals game since the Mercury in Game 3 of the 2021 Finals.

Atlanta hit just 29.2% of their shots, the fourth-lowest by any team in a WNBA Finals game, and just 23.5% in the paint, the worst by any team in a game this postseason.

"There are things that are on us, like we're missing shots we should make. But at the same time, that needs to be a whole lot better than it was," Smesko said. "It you push someone with two hands, that's got to be a foul. I'm kind of tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing."

Meanwhile, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said this level of physicality is expected at this stage of the Finals and series.

"Both teams really want to win this," Nakase said. "These are two defensive-minded teams ... they like physicality, so that's part of it. I ain't shocked about this. You have an Atlanta Dream team that's well-coached, that have dogs, same as us."