The Portland Fire rounded out a series of three home games with a 100-84 win over the Indiana Fever Saturday, firmly shutting down the doubts of naysayers (at home and elsewhere). With all the attention the Fever has received, it’s the kind of win that establishes a team has arrived.
Head coach Alex Sarama acknowledged this reality while speaking to reporters after the game. “In the first Indy game [May 20], we kind of deviated from our identity,” he explained. “So I think this was one where we really wanted to go out there and show what we’re capable of.”
The Fire certainly did that. Four players—Megan Gustafson, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Carla Leite, and Emily Engstler—each scored 15 or more points, and draftee Frieda Bühner came in with 10 of her own. The Fever’s Caitlin Clark, who is well on her way to becoming one of the highest-scoring players of all time, was held to just six.
By any metric, it was a huge win for the fledgling expansion team.
The Fire scorches the Indiana Fever
The Fire came into Saturday’s match following a a fresh loss against the Atlanta Dream—a game riddled with turnovers—and were prepared to fire on all cylinders. A completely sold-out crowd watched as Gustafson, who started her first game for Portland last night, led the night with 22 points. That effort was matched by several teammates in an upset win only 10 days after Indiana beat Portland back in Indianapolis.
It was clear Portland meant business from the tip, and the team ended the first quarter with a giant 29-15 lead. The crowd was more than hospitable to the Fever and offered cheers for each member of the team’s starting five—including the most for Clark, who was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by Indiana in 2024. There were also plenty of fans of all ages donning Clark jerseys, and anticipation was high for those who wanted to see what one of the most popular players in the WNBA could do.
Unfortunately for those fans—but fortunately for everyone who came to see Portland win—that wasn’t much. The Fire held Clark (who’s averaging 18.7 points and 8.5 assists per game) to just six points and six assists and, in fact, disrupted the entire team. The so-called Caitlin Clark effect is hard to resist, but the Fire showcased exactly why the team’s home crowd should be rooting for them instead.
To say vibes were high is an understatement. Fans were spotted shopping for Fire merch online before the game started, while others donned homemade flame headbands, and kids clamored to get autographs and high fives. Cheers that erupted in small bursts after the Fever scored were soon quieted by much louder and insistent boos; once it became clear the Fire were going to be unrelenting, fans matched their on-court effort with the kind of rousing support that only a crowd of 19,347 people can provide.
Feelings were big in the Fire Pit. Engstler and the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham had a spirited back-and-forth in the second quarter that saw the duo arguing all the way back down the court. “I don’t think you want to know what we were saying,” Engstler told reporters after the game, adding, “No one scares me—and she sure doesn’t.”
In addition to those double-digit performances from Engstler, Gustafson, Leite, and Barker, the game also saw big moments from Carleton, Oblak, and Bühner. True to form, Barker could be consistently counted upon to bring the Fire back into the game during any brief dry spells, and Bühner landed a layup that earned the team their first-ever franchise 100-point game.
Atlanta came into town and shut the Fire down
The team’s win against the Fever was preceded by a Friday night fight against the Atlanta Dream, who visited the Moda Center for the first time. The game also brought Te-Hina Paopao back to Oregon (Paopao, who was drafted by the Dream in 2024, spent three years with the Ducks before transferring to South Carolina).
“I love the West Coast,” Paopao told the Mercury on Friday morning. “My family’s here, I’ve got 40 people coming, and it’s always a joy to play [here].” Paopao also said she was looking forward to seeing what the Fire Pit was all about. “I’m really excited for them to get a little taste of me, but also to experience the fans here, because they run deep,” she added.
Three-time WNBA All-Star Allisha Gray and two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese addressed the Fire and Sarama’s unique style of play.
Gray, who grew up in Georgia and also played for the South Carolina Gamecocks before she was drafted by the Dallas Wings as the fourth overall pick in 2017, offered insight into the team’s mental preparation ahead of the game against the Fire. “The biggest thing is just keeping your composure,” she told the Mercury. “We know they’re a very aggressive team.”
“It is early, it’s game six for us,” Reese added, “but together, collectively, I think our maturity is continuing to grow, and we have great players on our team that keeps us poised, keeps us together. And coach Karl [Smesko] doesn’t get excited, either.”
That composure was on full display Friday when the Dream shut down the Fire 86-66 in a game that saw Portland commit 28 turnovers which Atlanta converted into 33 points.
The Fire failed to rally for most of the game, despite double-digit performances by Barker, Gustafson, and Leite. Reese’s 18-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Dream showed Fire fans exactly what her impact on Atlanta has been.
Portland kept the game close until the fourth, when the Dream outscored the Fire 18-4 in the first five minutes.
The Fire rallied to beat the Connecticut Sun, 71-61
Earlier this week, the Sun (note, newer W fans: they’re never, ever called the “Suns”) returned to the Fire Pit Wednesday to tango with our hometown heroes for a second time. Portland was fresh off two back-to-back wins on the road (the first a 99-80 statement win against the Toronto Tempo; the second a 81-74 victory against the New York Liberty) and ready to deliver more of the same at home.
The match wasn’t always smooth, but the Fire got the job done. They had an early lead, thanks in part to a jumper by Barker, but the Sun managed to swiftly even things up and the teams ended the first quarter with Portland up by one. The second quarter saw contributions from Engstler (who leads the WNBA in blocks), as well as Gustafson, Bridget Carleton, and newcomer Teja Oblak—who, at 39, is playing her “rookie” season in the WNBA after decades of professional experience overseas.
Rookie Serah Williams, who graduated from UConn in May, kept the Fire in the game with a hit free throw at the end of the third. That allowed the teams to head into the fourth tied 50-50. As they are wont to do, the Fire rallied in the fourth through the combined efforts of Oblak, Barker, and Bühner, who banded together to show exactly the kind of offensive play Sarama wants: after an Oblak layup, Barker stole the ball and shot it over to Bühner, who hit a second layup in rapid succession. Leite, who often plays as if she could win games on her own out of sheer willpower, landed six points in the final two minutes of the game that pushed the Fire over the edge for the win.
The Fire has one more home game on Friday, June 5, against the Phoenix Mercury before heading to Los Angeles to meet the Sparks (and psst… tickets for next week’s game are currently as low as $16.66).