Dream HC calls out 'ridiculous' officiating on Angel Reese

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) talks with referee Randy Richardson (11) during the game against the Golden State Valkyries in the third quarter of game five of the 2026 WNBA Finals at Chase Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dream HC Karl Smesko calls out 'ridiculous' officiating on Angel Reese after WNBA Finals Game 5 loss

By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 27, 2026 12:38 AM ET

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The Atlanta Dream have now lost two games in a row in the WNBA Finals after the Golden State Valkyries took Game 5 on Monday night in a 64-55 final in San Francisco.

It was a frustrating night for Atlanta, and superstar Angel Reese had just seven points with 15 rebounds on 2-of-8 from the field.

Reese only attempted four free throws all game long, marking her lowest number of free throws this postseason.

Karl Smesko rips officials after the Dream loss

After the loss, Dream head coach Karl Smesko did not hold back on the officials, and he questioned the lack of calls on Reese.

"The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous, just ridiculous. And we should have gone to the foul line six to eight more times just on that and then to miss double dribbles and travels, multiple that always led to points? Man, you can't be at this level and make that many mistakes. I'm kind of tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing," Smesko said in the postgame press conference.

Karl Smesko rips the officiating: "The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous, just ridiculous. And we should have gone to the foul line six to eight more times just on that and then to miss double dribbles and travels, multiple that always led to points? Man, you can't be at this level and make that many mistakes. I'm kind of tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing"
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 27, 2026

The Dream attempted one more free throw than the Vallyries in Game 5, but Smesko's frustration comes from the physicality of players guarding Reese.

Reese also expressed her frustration with the lack of calls going her way, so it's been a tough couple of games.

The Dream went from a 2-1 lead to now trailing 3-2, and Game 6 is on Thursday afternoon at State Farm Arena after the WNBA moved the tip-off time up to avoid complications with the Atlanta Hawks game.

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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