Storm, Fire clash in first all-Northwest matchup since 2002

Field Level Media|published: Tue 16th June, 22:02 2026

Jun 13, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Fire guard Carla Leite (0) brings the ball up the court as forward Emily Engstler (21) follows during the first half against the Dallas Wings at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Although they absorbed a 107-74 blowout loss Monday night at Minnesota, the Portland Fire remain in playoff position during their expansion season.

Portland (7-9, 1-5 Commissioner's Cup) looks to take another step in that direction Wednesday night when it hosts the struggling Seattle Storm (3-12, 0-6) in the first matchup of Pacific Northwest franchises since 2002, when the Fire were last in the league.

The Fire entered Tuesday a game out of the WNBA's final playoff spot, currently occupied by the Los Angeles Sparks. Portland's mix of veterans and young players has produced more than some expected.

"We're a bunch of overlooked players," center Megan Gustafson said. "I've never really been respected as a basketball player until I got here."

Carla Leite is leading Portland with 13.7 points and 5.3 assists per game, while Bridget Carleton adds 13.1 ppg. Carleton is coming off a rough game against the Lynx, her former team. She was 1 of 9 from the field in 26 minutes and scored three points.

Gustafson is scoring a career-high 11.4 ppg and hitting 57.9% of her field-goal attempts. As a team, the Fire are fifth in the league in 3-point percentage at 34.1%.

Meanwhile, Seattle (3-12) continued its early-season struggles with a reconstituted roster. It dropped its eighth game in a row on Friday night, a 76-72 setback at Golden State despite a game-high 26 points from Natisha Hiedeman.

Offense has been the Storm's major problem, as they rank last in the league in scoring (76.4 ppg), field goal percentage (40.5%), and assists per game (17.7). Hiedeman is pumping in a career-high 14.7 ppg, the first time in her five-year career that she's averaging in double figures.

Hiedeman said Seattle hasn't given up despite its recent skid.

"We don't ever give up, regardless of the score," she said. "That's a good thing about our team. We are full of competitors. We have a lot of fight."

One positive has been second-year center Dominique Malonga. She is averaging 14 points and 6.3 rebounds in seven games.

--Field Level Media

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