Angel Reese interaction shows why Rhyne Howard is Dream's quiet leader

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Isabelle Harrison was getting under Angel Reese's skin.

But with Rhyne Howard's help, Reese displayed a new level of maturity to rise above the negativity and power the Atlanta Dream to a win over the Toronto Tempo.

MORE: Karl Smesko's response to Angel Reese incident left many Dream fans frustrated

The Dream's 102-77 rout of the Tempo could have gone down so much differently had Reese reacted to Harrison's tackle in the third quarter.

The two bigs had gone at it for much of the game. Harrison had slapped the ball out of Reese's hands when the Dream star had been whistled for a dubious offensive foul in the second quarter, and Atlanta was up 10 -- hardly an insurmountable margin -- when the flagrant two incident occurred with 6:05 to go in the third quarter.

WTF ?!?!?!?!?!? pic.twitter.com/CYn5aVX3HW

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) June 14, 2026

But as Reese got to her feet and waved a finger at Harrison, there was Howard to push Reese out of the way and prevent an already-tense situation from exploding at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The Dream dominated the rest of the game in response, winning the final 13:55 by a 50-35 margin. Reese made four of her six field-goal attempts following Harrison's ejection.

Atlanta has one of the WNBA's most talented rosters. Reese and Allisha Gray start on any team in the WNBA, and they have a combined five All-Star appearances between them.

Naz Hillmon won Sixth Player of the Year in 2025, and All-Star center Brionna Jones hasn't even played yet for a team that is already 9-4.

But Howard is the stabilizing force: a quiet, determined and serious two-way star who has been something of a savior in Atlanta after the Dream made her the first overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Howard is averaging a career-best 18.9 points per game and has morphed into an elite defender to boot. She leads the league in steals (36) and steals per game (3.1), and she's well on track to merit her fourth All-Star selection.

And above that, she has become the face of the Dream, as Atlanta continues building for a championship push this fall.