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NYPD officers fatally shoot man armed with butcher knife after he advanced toward cops: police
NYPD officers fatally shot a 54-year-old man Sunday afternoon after police said he advanced toward them with a large butcher knife inside a Lower East Side apartment building.
The shooting happened shortly after 4 p.m. at 126 Ludlow Street, where officers were responding to multiple 911 calls reporting an assault in progress.
When officers entered the building, they found a trail of blood leading up a staircase, NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said during a Sunday evening news conference.
As officers headed upstairs, they encountered 54-year-old Wei Chan coming down the staircase while armed with what police described as a large butcher knife.
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"Officers repeated multiple commands for the male to show his hands in an effort for him to drop the weapon," Eger said. "As officers issued repeated commands, the male continued to advance towards the officers armed with the large butcher knife."
The officers then opened fire, striking Chan. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"He has no known criminal history with our department. However, he does have a documented mental health history with the department," Eger said.
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Officers also found Wei Chan's 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, suffering from a laceration to the head. Investigators said Wei Chan had injured his father before police arrived.
He was also taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
The responding officers were also taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
"Their actions are a reminder of how officers run towards danger and not away from it," Eger said.
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND HIDING IN DORM CLOSET ARRESTED
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that he had been briefed on the shooting and that the incident would undergo an internal investigation.
"As with every incident in which NYPD officers discharge their weapons, there will be an internal investigation, and body-worn camera footage of the incident will be released," Mamdani wrote on X.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
Hayden Panettiere dead at 36
"Nashville" actress Hayden Panettiere died, her representative confirmed to Fox News Digital. She was 36.
Circumstances surrounding her death were not immediately made available.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen," her rep said in a statement provided to ABC News.
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The New York native began acting at a young age, and was cast in "One Life to Live" when she was 4 years old. She found fame with a starring role alongside Denzel Washington in the 2000 classic, "Remember the Titans."
It was at the age of 15 when Panettiere remembered being offered "happy pills," and her addiction to opioids and alcohol began.
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"They were to make me peppy during interviews," Panettiere told People in 2022. "I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction."
Panettiere noted that as her career skyrocketed, she was drinking and occasionally taking opioids.
"As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without," she admitted.
In her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," the actress opened up about why she gave full custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere reveals that her 11-year-old daughter has lived with her father since 2018.
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"I just knew that if I wanted to... I knew how bad a place I was in," the actress told Fox News Digital last month. "I hid it from my daughter as much as I could."
"When I saw her in the environment over there (in Europe) and the support system that she had, I said to myself, 'If I fight, if I go to war about this, it's going to permanently damage my child. It's going to be incredibly public. She's got two very famous parents, and it's going to be ugly.'"
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"I said, 'You know what? Let her grow up here,'" she said. "I will travel here as much as I can. I know she's safe. I know she's well taken care of — beyond well taken care of. She has an incredible life. And I also knew that there would be a day when she would come back to me."
Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
Von Miller signs with Cowboys in homecoming move for 2-time Super Bowl champion: 'Let's make this one special'
Von Miller, the eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, is heading to Jerry’s World for his 15th NFL season.
Miller announced he is signing with the Dallas Cowboys, though the specifics of the deal were not disclosed.
"Dallas ! Let’s make this one Special !" Miller wrote on X with a photoshopped picture of himself in a Cowboys uniform.
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Cowboys legend Demarcus Ware, who also won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos alongside Miller, also posted a FaceTime screenshot of the two of them smiling together with the a smiling emoji and "#CowboysNation."
Miller also won SB 50 MVP during that game against the Carolina Panthers as well.
Miller is coming off a nine-sack season for the Washington Commanders, where he also collected 26 combined tackles across 17 games with his fourth NFL franchise in his career.
Now, Miller will be facing off against the Commanders, and other NFC East foes, with the Cowboys.
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Miller is a future Hall of Fame defensive end who has two first team All-Pro nods under his many accolades. He also heads into the 2026 NFL season tied ninth all-time in sacks alongside Ware with 138.5 for his career.
This is also a full-circle moment for Miller, who returns home. The DeSoto, Texas native starred at DeSoto High School before earning national recognition during his time with the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Broncos ended up taking Miller second overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, but now he heads to Dallas, which is less than an hour away from where he grew up.
For the Cowboys, the addition of Miller runs with the theme they’ve had since trading away Micah Parsons one year ago. They have been trying to find that skilled pass rusher since Parsons landed with the Green Bay Packers.
Last season, the Cowboys had just 31 sacks, which was in the bottom third of the league. Of course, sacks are not the only statistic that matters, but as a defense, Dallas allowed the third-most yards (377.0) and the most points (30.1) per game of any team in the league.
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The Cowboys have tried to shore up their defense this offseason, including the addition of Parsons’ old Packers teammate, outside linebacker Rashan Gary, ex-Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Otito Ogbonnia, and ex-San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters while using two first-round draft choices on defensive players — Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF linebacker Malachi Lawrence.
Finally, with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker in place, the Cowboys want to see their defense keep opponents out of the end zone, while their offense continues to find it like they did at a high rate last season. The Cowboys had the second-best offense in terms of yards in 2025.
Can Miller be that much of a difference, though? Can he fill the sack void left when Parsons packed for Green Bay?
He had a solid performance in 2025, and perhaps the homecoming will add some extra juice for the future Hall of Famer as he joins his new team.
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Louisiana man accused of killing wife, propping her body up for multistate drive
A Louisiana man is accused of killing his wife and propping her body up in the passenger seat of his car and driving through multiple states before he was arrested in Tennessee, according to authorities.
Tyronne Brazille, 50, was pulled over by police in Memphis for a traffic violation on Thursday when officers found the lifeless body of his wife, Lanessa Bradford, 50, in the passenger seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound, WREG reported.
A longtime friend of the woman, Shelicka Decker, told the outlet that the couple had been married for years and Bradford was planning to leave Brazille.
"She had the money saved up. She had come up with a plan, and she was going to just vanish. That was the only way she would be able to get away from him," Decker said. "She was going to leave her car, she was going to leave all the things behind, and she had been in touch with her family that was out of town, and that’s how she was going to make this move to get away."
But before Bradford had the chance to leave, investigators allege Brazille shot and killed her during an argument at Independence Community Park in Baton Rouge, according to investigators, WREG reported.
Investigators said Brazille drove through several states with his wife's body in the vehicle before he was stopped in Memphis. He was taken into custody in Memphis as a fugitive.
"I have so many questions, like, what were you doing in the car with her that amount of time while she was deceased," Decker said. "Where was his mind at during that ride? It’s so crazy and heartbreaking."
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Decker said Bradford had told her that Brazille threatened to kill himself or Bradford when she discussed leaving him, but Decker said she never believed he would actually follow through.
"He never put his hands on her up until recently, like maybe like two or three months ago," Decker said. "It wouldn’t have surprised me if someone had called and said that he killed himself because he always says this. It surprised me that he killed her."
Decker said Bradford worked at an elementary school in Baton Rouge, and the school asked police to conduct a welfare check at her home after she missed a few days of work.
"It’s such an unfortunate situation, like everybody, she was such a good person. Everybody, she uplifted a lot of people, a lot of parents," Decker said. "My prayers are with her family and friends as well as his, because we were all friends. We all, you know, hung around each other, and this is just not the same person that we grew up with."
Brazille is scheduled to appear in court on Monday as he awaits extradition to Louisiana.
Police said Brazille is expected to face a murder charge after extradition in connection with Bradford’s death.
Mercury coach blasts WNBA narratives but ignores Fever coach Stephanie White’s role in the mess
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts lit up his media session Saturday, taking dead aim at the endless noise surrounding the WNBA.
But instead of addressing why players like Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark keep taking hits from activists and mainstream outlets, Tibbetts rushed to the defense of Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White.
"It really pisses me off. It's disappointing," Tibbetts said regarding the narrative around the league.
"This is a great league. We've got great players. There's great stories, great rookies, great teams. We just spend so much time talking about the wrong stuff. I don't know why that happens in our league. It's disappointing. I don't know who can help change the narrative. Is it the coaches? Is it the players? Is it the media? There's outside sources that are trying to create division, and at times it's not a lot of fun."
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Tibbetts singled out the backlash directed at White after her limp reaction to a hard foul on Cunningham.
"We make it about basketball, but some of the things that Steph has to go through, that's wrong," Tibbetts added.
"There's no other coach in any professional sport that has to go through the stuff that she does, and I think of her a lot. It's not fair. It's not fair. She's hired to coach basketball. They got a great team and they're just dealing with stuff that doesn't really matter. So that still pisses me off."
White has been criticized for being too passive in protecting her players, notably after DiJonai Carrington slammed Sophie Cunningham across the neck.
Cunningham was already a target in the media for daring to speak out about protecting women's sports regarding transgender athletes.
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Instead of standing up for her player, Stephanie White ducked behind a wall of corporate word salad. White insisted Carrington had no bad intent, brushed it off as a routine hard foul, and apparently hoped everyone would just move along.
White's spineless refusal to defend Cunningham or acknowledge the targeted hostility toward players like Clark is what actually drives the outrage.
When activists and media hacks attack your locker room, a head coach cannot just sit on the fence.
Tibbetts wants fans to blame outside agitators for ruining the league's momentum.
In reality, his impassioned defense of White is basic WNBA brand protection.
WNBA SUDDENLY WANTS TO STICK TO BASKETBALL AFTER YEARS OF MAKING POLITICS PART OF THE PRODUCT
The WNBA would rather circle the wagons around its own establishment than back players who dare to express their views on matters like protecting women's sports.
Until coaches like White stop playing it safe and start defending their players, Tibbetts can complain about the narrative all he wants.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Todd Blanche backs Jeanine Pirro after Lincoln Memorial pool vandalism case dismissal
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday said he supports U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss the vandalism case involving the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Federal prosecutors on July 31 moved to drop the case against Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the $14 million project after cracks, algae growth and peeling sealant were discovered. Prosecutors cited evidence indicating the damage may have stemmed from a botched renovation rather than vandalism.
Blanche said he and President Donald Trump both support Pirro, but acknowledged that he could not fault the president for his reaction to the case dismissal, as "potential vandalism" may still be involved.
"I absolutely support U.S. Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump," he said on NBC’s "Meet the Press."
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"Now, that’s different than whether the president is extraordinarily frustrated at what happened in that case. And I don’t in any way fault him for that."
Blanche clarified that the court filings did not conclude that all of the damage was caused by faulty construction, noting that a witness reportedly claimed to have seen Hearn vandalizing the reflecting pool. However, he acknowledged that witness accounts alone are not sufficient evidence to prove the case.
"Well, there’s a witness that said, ‘I observed the defendant vandalizing the reflecting pool.’ Now, that’s different than whether ultimately we have the proof."
Hearn has maintained his innocence.
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Despite the evidentiary issues surrounding the case, Blanche said Pirro is doing a "phenomenal job" prosecuting vandalism involving memorials and monuments.
His comments came after Pirro’s office pursued a separate $1,000 property-destruction case involving a veterans memorial last Thursday. A female suspect, Melissa L. Farris, allegedly spray-painted the words "clean hands, diary money" in bright pink paint and dumped bubble soap into the memorial’s fountain.
"U.S. Attorney Pirro is doing a phenomenal job enforcing that, going after anybody who’s doing it. And I think judging her on a single case because of the evidence that we had is not fair," he said.
Blanche also said he would also consider last Thursday’s White House request asking the Justice Department to explore whether a new misdemeanor prosecution could be brought against Hearn after Pirro’s office dropped the original vandalism case.
"Will I take the President of the United States’s view on something into consideration? Yes, of course," he said.
"That’s certainly something that I listen to."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Rob Schneider leans on faith, holds hope for reconciliation with estranged daughter Elle King
Rob Schneider's relationship with estranged daughter Elle King may be strained, but he has hope for the future.
Schneider, 62, admitted on Andrew Gold's "Heretics" podcast that he'll always be there for the "very talented" country singer despite challenges with the past.
The "Grown Ups" actor recalled a previous public appearance where he admitted he "wasn't the dad" that his daughter needed.
"I wasn't prepared emotionally for the outpouring of what I received after that," Schneider said. "There's an endemic – and I don't know if in other cultures, but in the United States – an endemic of kids who went off to college and came back and said, 'My daughter doesn't want to have a relationship with me anymore,' or, 'I can't see my grandkids.'"
"It's an attack on the culture in a way that the culture is vulnerable."
In 2024, King shared insight into her at-times "toxic" childhood during an appearance on BunnieXO's "Dumb Blonde" podcast. King confessed that her dad was "just not nice" and would go "four or five years without talking" to her.
"I put out my record and people finally started asking about my dad," she said. "My dad called me, and was like, ‘Don’t f---ing talk about me in the press.'"
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She remembered, "If I would ever spend a summer with my dad, it would be on a movie set. I would just get lost in the shuffle. If I ever messed up a shot, if I ever was talking, like, I would get in f---ing trouble."
"He also didn't have a very good reputation. I don't want to be associated with him. He's just not nice. You can want someone to change so much; you can't control anyone else's actions. You can't control people's feelings. All you can control is how you react and what you do with your feelings, and sometimes I f---ing boil up, and I boil over and I f---ing bust my lid."
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King added, "You try every different angle. I would try letters. I would try soft. I would try yelling … my dad forgot about every single birthday. I spent my 18th birthday in a summer school, and they brought me cupcakes, and I came home and my dad forgot my birthday."
Schneider later apologized for the past, and admitted he wasn't sure if his daughter accepted his words.
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"The door's open, and I would say, you know, I love you and ... I'm there when you want," he said. "We had an exchange, and I'll leave it at that. The thing about, as a parent, you just have to love and be available and be an open door. My door's always open."
He added, "The second she needs me, I'll be there. That's all you can do, and the idea that I'm going to somehow ... that I need something, that I can force my way or force ... no. It has to be something that ... an openness."
Schneider conveyed the importance of recognizing a "higher power" to help guide him through difficult times.
"When things get taken away, and if that's everything – your fame and your attachment to this stuff – if that gets taken from you, and that's all you have, then you have nothing," he said.
"But if you realize there is something higher than all of that and your connection to that, then at that point there's nothing that anybody could do to you."
He added, "The thing about Christianity, it's really … it's love others, and it's really about forgiveness. And forgiveness isn't something you give to somebody else. It's a gift you give to yourself. You can't carry stuff. You have to let go."
King's representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Iran war thrusts Diego Garcia into spotlight as official calls US military base ‘integral’
An official with the self-described Chagossian government-in-exile said Sunday that the war with Iran has underscored Diego Garcia’s strategic importance to U.S. forces and Middle East regional stability, with the Pentagon shifting logistics to the remote U.K.-U.S. base in the Indian Ocean after an Iranian strike on a major American installation in Bahrain.
The base, in the southern Chagos Archipelago, has reportedly supported carrier strike groups including the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose forces have conducted air operations and helped enforce the blockade of Iranian ports.
The U.S. military’s wartime logistics network now stretches across a roughly 2,200-mile maritime supply route to Diego Garcia, allowing forces to avoid coastal facilities vulnerable to Iranian attacks but requiring longer shuttle runs and slower replenishment, according to The New York Times.
"That is an inconvenience, but it shows the importance of the base," James Tumbridge, an international lawyer who serves as attorney general for the Chagossian government-in-exile, told Fox News Digital.
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"The base is integral to regional security for the U.K., U.S. and our allies. This latest news emphasizes it."
"Bahrain is a far easier target, so the U.S. change of supply arrangement makes sense," Tumbridge said, adding, "Hopefully the new British PM will not deny the U.S. this change of use."
"It shows the importance of the base and asking a third country for permission is not what the U.S. will want, and so I hope this means Trump will still oppose the handover," Tumbridge went on to say, referring to a proposed agreement that would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In 2025, the U.K. and Mauritius signed a treaty that would recognize Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago while allowing the U.K. to retain control of Diego Garcia for an initial 99-year period.
The British government later put implementation of the agreement on hold amid renewed U.S. concerns over the sovereignty transfer.
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Reports emerged in June that U.S. officials had drafted a proposal to bypass Britain and strike a deal to take control of Diego Garcia, one of several alternatives to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius.
The first minister of the self-described Chagossian government-in-exile responded that month and said the Chagos Islands were not for sale or "for stealing either," but argued that he "can’t blame" Trump for "looking to secure the military base."
"Trump cannot buy the islands. That suggestion made by some is unhelpful to us all. Only the U.K. can sell the islands, as only the U.K. owns them," Tumbridge also said on Sunday.
"The arguments over sovereignty do not get fixed via a sale, and Mauritius cannot sell them unless the U.K. first gives them away," he added.
"It is not in the U.K.’s interest to sell them. Whether we keep them and continue our support for the U.S. base or we cede them to Mauritius is the choice — my desire is the former."
Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over the archipelago, a position backed by a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice and subsequent U.N. action.
The U.K. government, however, permitted the U.S. to use Diego Garcia for limited defensive operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities in March after initially withholding approval for offensive strikes.
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"The U.S. wanted to use Chagos Diego Garcia for air strikes at the very beginning. The U.K. consulted Mauritius and refused — hence Trump finally appreciating why sovereignty transfer was a problem," Tumbridge said.
"After the attacks on Cyprus, the U.K. allowed certain so-called defense uses, and Iran did fire at Diego Garcia, but they missed."
On March 20, Reuters reported that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia.
One missile failed in flight, while a U.S. warship fired an interceptor at the other, though it was initially unclear whether the interception succeeded. British officials later said one missile fell short and the other was intercepted.
"No serious concerns have been shared — the earlier attempt showed a lack of range and targeting ability," Tumbridge said.
"The British Government and the Commissioner for the Territory have already tried to say the last attack makes the islands unsafe. No one seriously believes that Iran would try to target the outer islands that presently only have a population of six people."
The reported U.S. logistical strains and renewed focus on Diego Garcia came as the USS Abraham Lincoln approached nine months of continuous deployment in the region.
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 14, Trump said a new aircraft carrier was heading to the Middle East to replace it.
"That ship is moving," Trump said when reporters asked about the carrier.
Meanwhile, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, also met with service members aboard the carrier, which is expected to be relieved amid concerns raised by families over the extended deployment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Todd Blanche rejects NBC anchor’s DOJ independence pledge, says Trump would never cross ‘legal line’
Newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected NBC host Kristen Welker's request Sunday on "Meet the Press" that he pledge the Justice Department (DOJ) would always act independently of the White House, arguing the agency must remain able to carry out lawful presidential policy priorities.
"No, I’m not going to pledge that. And no attorney general should ever pledge that," Blanche said.
Blanche used President Donald Trump’s directive to target violent criminals to distinguish lawful presidential direction from political interference in an individual case.
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"If President Trump says, ‘I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country,’ which is what he has said, what you’re saying to me is I should say, ‘No, sir, I’m not going to do it,’" Blanche said.
According to the Justice Manual, the department's own rules draw the distinction Blanche described. They permit coordination between the White House and DOJ on policy matters unrelated to pending cases, while limiting contacts about cases to senior officials to protect enforcement decisions from partisan or improper influence.
Blanche also gave a similar answer when Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., asked whether the Justice Department was independent from the White House during his confirmation hearing in July.
"The Department of Justice, like every single Department in the executive [branch], is part of the executive," Blanche said.
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The Justice Department pointed Fox News Digital on Sunday to a post from Emily Covington, director of DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs, in response to questions about Welker’s exchange with Blanche. NBC News and the White House did not immediately respond.
"DOJ is part of the executive branch. Are you suggesting that the focus of the Department should not align with the policy goals of the President, who was elected by the American people? Elected because the people voted for the priorities of that President," Covington said.
Welker followed Blanche's explanation by asking whether he would comply if Trump directed him to cross an ethical or legal line. Blanche rejected the premise and pointed to his constitutional oath.
"He never has. He never will," Blanche said. "I swore to the Constitution of the United States like every cabinet secretary has done and like every attorney general before me has done."
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DOJ separately told Fox News Digital that Blanche had addressed the issue publicly and raised the Biden-era investigation into classified records at Mar-a-Lago.
"The AG has addressed this at length publicly," a DOJ spokesperson said.
FBI records released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley showed officials in the Washington Field Office said they had not established probable cause for a search warrant and favored seeking Trump’s cooperation through a consensual search. The DOJ’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section maintained that probable cause existed and pressed forward with the warrant. A federal magistrate approved the warrant before the August 2022 search.
A separate May 2022 FBI communication showed coordination among DOJ, the White House Counsel’s Office and the National Archives during the classified-records investigation. Plans to interview Trump aide Walt Nauta depended on the timing of a Biden briefing and coordination between White House Counsel and DOJ. The publicly reported excerpt concerned the Nauta interview and executive-privilege questions, rather than an explicit White House directive to conduct the later search.
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The National Archives said the White House transmitted a DOJ-backed statutory request for the FBI to access 15 boxes Trump had returned, but distinguished that process from the later search and said NARA had no prior knowledge of or involvement in it.
Blanche later said he would consider Trump's views on an individual prosecution but would stand up for what he believed was right. He also denied that the president directs him to prosecute specific people.
Blanche's confirmation faced opposition as some Senate Republicans demanded that he rescind a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and narrow IRS audit protections for Trump and his family. Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, ultimately joined every Senate Democrat in opposing his nomination.
"Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation," Collins said.
Blanche sought to reassure DOJ employees during his first workforce address as attorney general Thursday by promising fair and impartial enforcement.
"I promise you that I will lead this department with integrity," Blanche said. "I promise you that I will focus on our core mission, which is to uphold the rule of law fairly and impartially."
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry gets a new chapter in Fever-Dream overtime thriller
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.