Portland Fire Tops Indiana Fever

On Saturday night, the Indiana Fever ended their two-game losing streak, but expansion team Portland Fire secured a strong win with a score of 100-84.

Caitlin Clark had a challenging night, scoring just six points on only one successful shot out of seven attempts. The standout rookie of 2024 managed to provide six assists, but foul trouble kept her on the bench for most of the game—she played only 22 minutes and ultimately racked up five fouls.

This victory marked Portland’s fourth win in their last five games. Notably, Carla Leite and Emily Engstler achieved the franchise’s first double-doubles, recording 18 points with 12 assists and 16 points with 10 rebounds, respectively.

Aliyah Boston, the top pick from the 2023 WNBA Draft, led the Fever with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries rebounded from a previous loss to the Fever by narrowly defeating Indiana 90-88 on Thursday night.

The Fire jumped to a 29-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained their dominance in the second quarter, with Sarah Ashley Barker hitting a 3-pointer to extend their lead to 44-26 with just four minutes left in the half.

After halftime, Portland continued to widen the gap, pushing their lead to 25 points in the third quarter. Coach Alex Salama decided to rest many of the starters, with the Fire still ahead by 19 points entering the fourth quarter.

Clark missed a previous game against the Fire in Indianapolis on May 21 due to a back injury, which the Fever announced just two hours before the game. The WNBA later issued a warning for not reporting the injury sooner.