Saturday’s WNBA slate wraps up with a matchup between teams on the outside of the playoff picture. The Portland Fire are fading after a solid start, and will have to think long and hard about what they want to get out of their debut season. Seattle was already resigned to a rebuild, and will have no issue taking a few losses, but the Storm will have some decisions to make in the coming weeks. The trade deadline comes around sooner than you think; this is a chance for both teams to reverse their fortunes, and for players on both sides to prove they belong.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Storm are 4.5-point home favorites with -185 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Fire upset is priced at +154 with the game total set at O/U 172.5 points.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Fire-Storm game.
Fire vs. Storm Preview
It seems as if the wheels are coming off for the Portland Fire. After scrapping their way to a 6-4 start, they’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games, many of those in blowout fashion. That all comes down to the defense: Portland has surrendered 100+ points in their last five losses, including back-to-back losses allowing exactly 124 points. It’s a ghastly effort by a team that looks extremely disjointed. The rotations aren’t there, players aren’t closing down shooters with effort, and head coach Alex Sarama has to be fuming when watching the game tape. But hey, at least they have Carla Leite.
Seattle’s problems are quite different. They have one of the worst offenses in the league, but a defense that has been surprisingly sound. Dominique Malonga is turning into a strong defensive anchor, and All-Defense player Ezi Magbegor is back in the mix after a long injury layoff. Awa Fam, Jordan Horston, Flau’jae Johnson, and Jade Melbourne have all had their moments on the defensive end this season. The consistency isn’t there for this to be an elite defense, but considering the roster overhaul they’ve been through (and the youth on the roster), you have to be happy with the passable results.
The offensive struggles have kept a firm ceiling on this team. Despite all the size on the roster, they’re struggling to score consistently inside the three-point line and cannot get to the line enough to compensate. The rebounding has underwhelmed as well, and like many young teams, they’re turning the ball over a whole lot. Natisha Hiedeman’s breakout offensive season appears wasted, though she’s doing her best as a playmaker and floor-spacer. There’s only so much that head coach Sonia Raman can do to gin up offense for a team going through growing pains.
So, we have a bit of a stoppable force meets a movable object matchup here. Can Seattle’s sputtering offense find a rhythm against a Fire squad that struggles to defend much of anything? That may well decide this matchup.
Fire vs. Storm Pick, Best Bet
Even if the Storm can’t score 100+ points, I trust in their defense to top the scales. Portland is running one of the worst two-pointer deficits in the league, and they’re going to have a hard time dealing with Malonga, Fam and Magbegor on both ends of the floor. That’s going to be the difference for Seattle in a home victory.
