The last time the Portland Fire won a game was July 16, when the team bested the Washington Mystics 75-56. Since then, they’ve lost to the Minnesota Lynx (101-93 on July 18), Dallas Wings (101-97 on July 22), Las Vegas Aces (98-83 on July 28), Indiana Fever (112-98 on July 31), and Los Angeles Sparks (106-101) on August 2.
Note: This isn’t a takedown piece. Losing is as part of playing a professional sport as winning is, and that’s especially true for an expansion team playing its first season.
The second half of the WNBA season is always more intense; it’s something that can take even the most storied veterans by surprise. The Fire, like the rest of the league, has also been ensconced in what feels like the most heavily scrutinized season to date.
Some of those conversations took place on July 31, when the Fire hosted the Fever in Portland for the second time. The game took place following serious transphobic comments from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, which resulted in a rally (in support of Cunningham) and counter-rally (against Cunningham’s supporters) were held outside the Moda Center ahead of the match.
Head coach Alex Sarama told reporters ahead of the game that the controversy surrounding Cunningham hadn’t reached the team. “I think we had a really good practice, [it] didn’t come up. It was just kind of focused on the game plan, and that was that,” he said.
When asked for a second time if Cunningham’s comments were influencing the day, Sarama clarified, “I’ll be really honest. I’ve been so focused on the game plan and [it’s] the third time we’ve been playing this team. So [my] whole attention has been on that. But at the same time, I know what it means to be here and to live in Portland, and I’m so proud of all the values and what it means to be part of a community where these values are important and it matters.”
The match between the two teams was heated and feisty. Cunningham was on the receiving end of resounding boos from Fire fans anytime she checked in or even touched the ball; at times, her teammate Caitlin Clark failed to draw her usual cheers.
But the basketball of it all took over fairly quickly. Though the Fire held their own and traded points for much of the first quarter, Clark landed 9 points that helped the Fever pull away. The Fire were outscored 34-25 in the third quarter, and Indiana ran away with the match in the fourth. The game marked the fifth consecutive win for Indiana and was also the fifth in a row in which the team scored 100+ points.
The Fire were victims of a common refrain (too many turnovers—the Fire had 20 to the Fever’s 13), something Bridget Carleton immediately addressed after the game.
“I think it’s solvable. Obviously, this is one of those games where you look back, and like, that’s probably the biggest reason we lost the game. 112 points is a lot of points and a lot of that was due to our turnovers,” Carleton said.
Sunday’s afternoon bout against the Sparks offered a bit of relief: the WNBA’s midseason trade deadline expired 30 minutes before the match began, and the Fire’s roster made it through untouched. The same can’t be said for Los Angeles, who lost All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury the night before.
That should have meant the game was an easier win for the Fire. The two teams were ranked 10th (Fire) and 11th (Sparks) heading into the match, and Sarama noted ahead of the game the team prepared for two scenarios: one with Plum on the court, and one without. And, to be fair, the game was extremely close, until it just wasn’t: the teams traded shots and blows until the final 2.3 second on the clock, when Carleton accidentally bounced the ball out of bounds after it hit her leg and cemented the win for Los Angeles.
“I kind of bobbled it,” she admitted after the game. “It’s like one of those things where I didn’t really have the ball. [I was] looking to shoot, [and] also could have got a quick two. It was one of those plays where there was enough time for both. I mean, just kind of unfortunate how it happened.”
The team’s last four losses have also happened either the day guard Sarah Ashlee Barker injured her left leg, or since the Fire announced she’ll miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. Barker’s absence is obvious from the second the Fire’s hype video begins at each game: she’s the first player fans see, and that appearance has drawn soft “awws” as much as it’s drawn applause the last few games at home.
Barker came up at the team’s practice Tuesday.
“Honestly, I think we kind of need to just come together at the end of the games,” Emily Engstler said when asked how the Fire can turn the season around. “We were doing such a good job in the beginning finishing games, and obviously throughout the season, [then] we lost Sarah Ashlee. We’ve had some touch-and-go injuries like that, and we just need to stay more connected towards the end of games, and have that confidence. I think we had the confidence to finish in the beginning, and we’re kind of losing that a little bit, which sometimes happens.”
Finishing the season without Barker isn’t ideal.
“I mean, it’s like, it stinks,” Engstler continued. “She’s such a good basketball player, but she also brings a lot of energy on and off the court. And honestly, I just feel sad for her that the season got cut early. But I think, as someone with who we share a common faith, I think she understands that God’s got her, and I think there’s a lot of peace within understanding that.”
Next, the Fire will host the Toronto Tempo on Thursday, August 6. Portland took home the 99-80 win when the two teams played on May 23, but a lot of basketball has been played since then. Fans who want to come out and support the Fire can snag tickets for $19 for now—and the game begins at 7 pm sharp.