Kendra Andrews Oct 27, 2026, 12:54 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO -- Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko stood defiantly behind star 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.…