The Portland Fire earned, and I do mean earned, their second win of the season on Monday evening in a grueling 83-82 victory over the Connecticut Sun. The leading scorers for the Fire were Bridget Carlton and Sarah Ashlee Barker who each had 18 points in the contest. The Sun featured five players in double-digits, led by Brittney Griner’s 16-point outing.
The two teams came out hot in the first quarter. Portland’s Nyadiew Punch ended the period with an and-one layup to put the Fire in front 25-24.
The second quarter, however, saw Portland go cold. They scored just 13 points in the quarter. Their aggressive defense kept them close throughout the frame and they went into the half down four. After dropping behind by as many as seven points, the Fire made a quick 9-0 run late in the third to head into the final frame tied up.
The fourth quarter is where the game truly went up yet another level. Barker played the hero yet again, willing the Fire to the win. She made an and-one layup, grabbed a steal and finished the break with another and-one all within a stretch lasting just over a minute. The outburst led to “SAB” chants that drowned out the broadcast audio. The final nail in the coffin was a Sug Sutton floater to put Portland’s lead out of reach.
Here’s what stood out from the win.
Physicality
I mentioned in my first recap that Portland prioritized a defensive identity when making their picks in the WNBA expansion draft. I was wrong. What was, apparently, truly prioritized was making opposing teams absolutely miserable.
Every single defensive possession showcases the tenacity that this team plays with, and it leads to a lot of offensive errors. In this game that led to 18 turnovers for the Sun and 27 points off of turnovers for the Fire on the other end. But maybe the most impressive part? They are able to do all this without fouling at absurd rates. They had 23 fouls in the game, not an insignificant amount, but far from what it could have been if Portland was not as disciplined defensively as they are.
Balanced Scoring Attack
For the second straight game, the Fire were without Carla Leite and her 19.5 points per game. They made up for that with five players finishing the game with 10 or more points. Barker and Carlson had 18 each, Emily Engstler had 15 points on just 7 shots, Sutton had 12 points and Puoch had 10 points in the contest.
No go-to scorer can be a weakness at times, but it can also be turned into an advantage. The offense becomes more unpredictable and free flowing. There is no one player that will touch the ball every time down the court, and the shot could come from anywhere at any time. Portland had 23 assists on 28 made shots in this game, led by Sutton’s 5 assist game.
Another Close Finish
Another incredible finish for the Fire’s second win of the season is an amazing way to introduce yourselves to the city of Portland. The amount of support from the fans was always going to be high, but this is certainly the best way to entrench a team in the hearts of fans immediately. Being able to have such an amazing home crowd during these close games is a major advantage, but also a spectacle to watch. Multiple times throughout the game I heard the in-arena chants clearly over the broadcast.
Up Next
Portland is heading on the road for their first road trip of the year. First stop, a matchup with the Indiana Fever on Wednesday, May 20 at 4:00 p.m. PST.
