FIRED UP: Portland Smothers Caitlin Clark, Expansion Squad Blitzes Fever in Historic Rose City Sellout!
FIRED UP: Portland Smothers Caitlin Clark, Expansion Squad Blitzes Fever in Historic Rose City Sellout!
PORTLAND, Ore. — Welcome back to the Pacific Northwest, WNBA. It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the Indiana Fever last stepped foot in Portland to play the Fire, and the 2026 expansion side made sure it was a homecoming to forget.
In front of a roaring, sold-out crowd of 19,347 at the Moda Center on Saturday night, the Portland Fire absolutely dismantled the Fever 100-84. It wasn't just a win; it was a physical statement from a brand-new franchise that has now quietly won four of its last five games.
The Blueprint: Smothering No. 22
If you want to beat the Fever right now, you start by cutting the head off the snake. Portland head coach Alex Sarama dialed up a defensive masterclass that left Caitlin Clark completely out of rhythm all night.
Clark was held to just six points in her 22 minutes on the hardwood, frustrated by relentless coverage and a mounting whistle. She shot a miserable 1-of-7 from the field, adding two rebounds and six assists while spending the second half trapped in deep foul trouble. She picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter and eventually finished the game with five.
The last time these two teams met back on May 21, Clark sat out with a late-disclosed back issue (earning Indiana a stern warning from the league office), and the Fever cruised to a 90-73 win without her. With Clark on the floor in the Rose City, the Fire got their absolute revenge, evening the season series to 1-1.
The Fire-Power: Gustafson and Dual Double-Doubles
While Indiana's offense was stuck in the mud, Portland was an absolute track meet.
Megan Gustafson was the hammer for the Fire, dropping a game-high 22 points, including an early eight-point burst in the opening frame that set the tone. But the real story of the night was a pair of historic franchise milestones:
Carla Leite put on a point guard clinic, dropping 18 points and carving up the perimeter for 12 assists.
Emily Engstler anchored the interior with a gritty 16 points and 10 boards.
The performances marked the first two double-doubles in Portland Fire franchise history. By the time Sarah Ashlee Barker drilled a cinematic third-quarter three-pointer to stretch the lead to 25 points, the Moda Center crowd was already on its feet celebrating.
Silver Linings and Milestone Climbing
It wasn’t all bad news for Indiana, even if the scoreboard felt like a punch to the gut following Thursday’s heartbreaking 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
Aliyah Boston did everything she could to keep the Fever afloat, leading the squad with 18 points and seven rebounds. Along the way, Boston grabbed her 746th career defensive rebound in just her 131st game, officially passing Erlana Larkins for No. 2 on the Fever’s all-time defensive rebounding list (trailing only the legendary Tamika Catchings).
Kelsey Mitchell also carved out her own piece of franchise history. With four assists on the night, Mitchell climbed to 819 career helpers, passing former guard Erica Wheeler to take sole possession of No. 2 all-time in Fever history.
Oh, and a quick shout-out to forward Grace VanSlooten, who checked into the stat sheet by scoring her first official points in a Fever uniform with just 9.7 seconds left in the game.
What's Next
Indiana Fever: The road trip from hell is over. The Fever head back home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, June 4, at 7 p.m. ET to host Atlanta. It doubles as the opening night of the 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, so expect them to come out swinging.
Portland Fire: The expansion darlings hit the road to face the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night, looking to prove this hot streak is the real deal.
