Last night the Fire hosted the Seattle Storm as part of the first installment in a four-game rivalry series that will see both teams traversing the 175 miles that separate them. Portland, who entered into the series with a 5-4 historic record from the 2000-2002 seasons, pulled out a 94-89 victory last night, thus sparing the city (and themselves) from a very specific kind of sibling shame.
The Fire found themselves down by as many 12 points last night while facing a young and spirited Seattle Storm. The loss was the ninth consecutive one for Seattle, despite the best efforts of the team’s 2025 top draft pick, Dominique Malonga, who ended the night with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
It was clear Portland wanted to control the game early by setting a quick pace and maximizing perimeter shooting. Carleton powered the Fire to an early 16-7 lead with two of the team’s four first quarter three-pointers and added on a third in the second after the Storm seized control of the game.
Malonga’s 6’6” frame (yes, she can dunk) gave the Fire plenty of trouble in the paint, and the team gave up far more points than they should have, simply because she proved nearly impossible to stop.
Seattle was up 68-56 in the third, the Fire’s shooting had dropped to below 36 percent, and they were beginning to resemble the late Robert Redford in 2013’s All Is Lost when Carleton woke back up and started dropping threes like it’s easy. Her sixth of the night pulled the Fire back up within two points of the Storm, Leite drew a flagrant foul and landed both free throws, Megan Gustafson hit her own three, and all of the sudden Portland was tied and the game was within the team’s grasp.
A one-leg jumper from Emily Engstler pushed the Fire ahead with just over one minute remaining, and Carleton’s final three-pointer of the night secured the win.
“I’ve never seen a team like this, and that’s why it’s such a joy to show up and have the pleasure of working with them every day,” head coach Alex Sarama told reporters after the game.
It’s true that the Fire’s team-first approach to basketball netted the win. Portland is fairly unique in the WNBA for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is that at least three players score in the double digits each game—and that number is often as high as five players on any night, whether they win or lose.
But the team’s biggest stars last night were Bridget Carleton, the Fire’s $1.19 million first expansion draft pick, and Carla Leite, who the Fire expertly plucked from the Golden State Valkyries this year. Carleton—queen of my heart, savior of Rose City basketball—netted seven three-point shots last night, a career-high move that tied the franchise record set by Sophia Witherspoon on June 29, 2001.
For the unfamiliar, Carleton was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in 2019 and spent most of her pre-Fire career with the Minnesota Lynx. She was good, but didn’t have the potential to be great—something that leading the Fire is giving her the space to do. After the Fire’s tough 107-74 loss to the Lynx on June 15, Sarama said he wanted Carleton to take more three point shots.
Clearly, she agreed. “I was open a lot, which was nice,” she told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “My teammates found me. All my shots felt good, but yeah, I think my teammates did an incredible job.”
“Carla (Leite) was great in the ball screens and finding me on the weak side,” she added. “Our coaches had an incredible scout, knowing when the shooters were going to be open, and just letting it fly. Sarah Ashlee pulled down some clutch rebounds right at the very end of the game.”
Carleton’s three-point shooting wasn’t even the entirety of what she did well, Sarama said. “You know what also stood out? It was the rebounding,” he pointed out after the game. “I think she’s the one taking that most to heart, and I really like the effort. She’s showing on the defensive glass. If you just watch [Bridget Carleton] when a shot goes up, it’s incredible what she’s doing to secure us those possessions.”
And it was Leite, who was drafted into the WNBA by the Valkyries in 2025, who approached the game with her signature rocket ship energy and refusal to go down without an exhausting fight. She ended the night with her second career double-double—20 points and 10 assists, more proof that Sarama’s previously stated intentions are working.
Leite’s shooting and driving to the basket get a lot of attention, but she’s also just tough across the board. As Carleton also pointed out, her ability to read a screen made her own performance possible.
The Fire will meet the Storm three more times this season: in Seattle on July 4, at home on August 8, and in Seattle once more on August 14. The team’s next four games are on the road (two in Chicago, one in D.C., and that first Seattle game) before they return home to host the Las Vegas Aces on July 9.