Intense Rivalry Alert: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Ignite Drama

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese gave the WNBA an overtime thriller Sunday evening at State Farm Arena.

Clark scored 26 points, hit two enormous free throws late in overtime and grabbed the game-sealing rebound as the Indiana Fever beat Reese and the Atlanta Dream, 95-91.

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It was a real team win for the Fever. But Clark and Reese were right in the middle of the biggest moments, including Reese’s missed layup at the end of regulation that sent the game to overtime.

Indiana had to earn it, too.

Caitlin Clark scored 26 points and hit clutch free throws in overtime as the Indiana Fever beat Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream 95-91 in a WNBA thriller. (Getty Images)

The Fever trailed by eight after Atlanta scored 28 points in the third quarter to open a 72-64 advantage. But for a team known for its offensive firepower, it was Indiana’s defense that made the clutch plays down the stretch. The Fever held the Dream to nine points in the fourth, outscored Atlanta 17-9 and forced overtime.

It was the lowest fourth-quarter scoring output for the Dream this season. But it almost didn't matter.

The Dream had the ball in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied 81-81. Rhyne Howard missed a 3 with 5.5 seconds left, but Reese grabbed the offensive rebound and had a clean look at the basket.

She clanked the layup attempt off the backboard and then the front of the rim. Naz Hillmon collected the rebound and threw up a desperation shot before time expired, but she also missed and the game went to overtime.

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese missed a layup in the final seconds of the fourth quarter against the Indiana Fever that would have won the game for Atlanta. (Getty Images)

Reese opened the extra period with a basket off a teammate’s miss, but Indiana scored the next eight points. Kelsey Mitchell’s layup with 13.6 seconds left stretched the Fever’s lead to 93-88 and gave her 20 points, extending her streak to 19 consecutive 20-point games.

Then came the wild finish.

A controversial foul call on Clark with 10 seconds remaining sent Howard to the line for three free throws. Indiana challenged the call and ESPN broadcasters said they thought the call would be overturned. Instead, officials upheld the call.

Howard made all three, cutting Indiana’s lead to 93-91.

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Atlanta had no choice but to foul Clark on the other end.

She calmly made both free throws to essentially seal the victory.

The Dream missed their final shot, Clark grabbed the rebound and alertly heaved the ball to the other end of the court to run out the remaining few seconds.

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark celebrates during a game against the Atlanta Dream. (NBAE via Getty Images)

Clark finished with 26 points and nine assists, though she needed 20 shots to get there and committed five turnovers. Still, she was there when Indiana needed her most, both at the line and on the glass.

Mitchell added 20 points on 9-for-22 shooting. Makayla Timpson was terrific with 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including six points in OT. Aliyah Boston posted 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, five steals and three blocks.

Sophie Cunningham had just three points, but they came on a clutch and-1 to give the Fever a 78-77 lead with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.

Reese put together another active stat line with 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. But she shot just 5 for 16 from the field, committed four turnovers and had five fouls. Allisha Gray carried Atlanta offensively with 32 points, while Howard added 17.

The Dream made nearly everything at the foul line, going 25-for-26. It still wasn’t enough.

Clark and Reese have played in plenty of big games before. Sunday’s game had a little of everything: early runs, a late defensive stand, a missed shot at the buzzer, overtime drama and Clark sealing it at the line.

That’s a pretty good new chapter.

Kristen Kish Demands Top Chef Boost Its Prize Money – Here’s Why

As the cost of groceries continues to rise, cooking in restaurants and at home has become more expensive. Kristen Kish, host of Top Chef, is well aware of this squeeze and wants the winners of the Bravo reality cooking show to be awarded more prize money for triumphing in the kitchen.

“I was just talking with some folks from Bravo, and I was like, ‘We need to increase the prize money.’ On my season, Season 10, it was $125,000. Now it’s $250,000, but with inflation, we should be creeping up near a million,” she said during a conversation at Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees Studio. “Eggs are expensive these days. We need to like up the ante a little bit, but I do understand that it’s far more complicated than just saying give us a million bucks.”

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Kish landed an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program category for a third year in a row, one for each year she has been hosting the long-running series, having replaced Padma Lakshmi in Season 21.

She is, once again, up against The Traitors’ Alan Cumming in the category, ironic given that she brought her kitchen star power to the Peacock mystery competition series this year too.

Check out the Contenders conversation with Kish below and scroll down for photos from the event.

Kish said that every year she is nominated it feels “surreal” and “exciting.” “I feel really proud for myself, but there is no show if there are no chefs. I am so proud for everyone involved in making the show. It changes so many people’s lives in our industry,” she said.

This season, set in the Carolinas, it changed the life of Rhoda Magbitang, who grew up in the Philippines and worked in kitchens including Michelin-starred Mélisse, Suzanne Goin’s A.O.C., République and Bazaar by José Andrés before winning Season 23.

Much like Kish, when she was a contestant (and winner) on Season 10 of Top Chef, Magbitang had to go through Last Chance Kitchen to win.

“Coming out of Last Chance Kitchen, a lot of the chefs will say if you’ve been through it, you are reignited. You have a little extra. There is some kind of mental load reset. The worst thing has happened, which is [they] got already got kicked off. So, you relieve yourself of that pressure,” Kish said.

Kish has a more comforting style than many reality TV hosts. This season it showed when she comforted a distraught chef, Nana Araba Wilmot, who didn’t have time to plate her dish, and also dealt with an injured contestant.

“I feel like an older sister or a peer that maybe has been in that particular restaurant for a little bit of extra time where… I can make people feel a little bit more calm and hopefully more confident, while also still giving feedback that holds them accountable,” she said.

Top Chef, produced by Magical Elves, has already been renewed for Season 24. Kish wouldn’t give much away as to where it will be set. “I have heard rumblings. I have a general idea of where we’re going, and all I can say is I’m very, very excited for the entire plan,” she said.